•*>» 


^> 


OS^    .<vi 


^"'^    ^'  nO. 


0.'%.^'^ 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


y 


m 


A 


{./ 


A 


yj^:^ 


1.0  t^  m 

^  IJ^IIIM 


IL25  i  1.4 


m 


1.6 


^ 


<^ 


/^ 


rf> 


Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  NY.  14580 

(716)  873-4503 


■^ 


\ 


iV 


\ 


:\ 


^<i) 


V 


S. 


cS\ 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICIVIH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
copy  which  may  be  bibliographicaliy  unique, 
"^hich  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


0 


D 


D 


n 


D 


D 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 


I      I    Covers  damaged/ 


Couverture  endommagie 


Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaurie  et/ou  peiiiculAe 


I      I    Cover  title  missing/ 


Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 


I     I    Coloured  m&ps/ 


Cartes  gtographiques  en  couleur 

Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 


I      I    Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 


Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 

Bound  with  other  material/ 
Reli6  avec  d'autres  documents 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  rellure  serrde  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  long  de  la  marge  intirieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajouties 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte, 
mais.  lorsque  cela  6tait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  AtA  filmAes. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  supplAmentaires: 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  le  Tieilleur  exempiaire 
qu'il  lui  a  6t6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
de  cet  exempiaire  qui  sent  peut-Atre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibllographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduita,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  m6thode  normale  de  filmage 
sont  indiqu6s  ci-dessous. 


I      I   Coloured  pages/ 


D 


Pages  de  couleur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommagdes 

Pages  restored  and/oi 

Pages  restauries  et/ou  peliicui^es 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxe< 
Pages  d6color6es,  tachetdes  ou  piqu6es 

Pages  detached/ 
Pages  d6tach6es 

Showthrough/ 
Transparence 

Quality  of  prir 

Qualit^  in6gale  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  materif 
Comprend  du  mat6riel  suppl6mentaire 


I — I  Pages  damaged/ 

[~~|  Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 

r~7]  Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 

r~p(  Pages  detached/ 

r^  Showthrough/ 

I      I  Quality  of  print  varies/ 

I      I  Includes  supplementary  material/ 


Th 
to 


Th 
po 
of 
fill 


Or 
be 
th( 
sic 
oti 
fir 
sic 
or 


Th 
sh 
Til 
wl 

IVI) 
dil 
en 
be 
rig 
re( 
m( 


[~n    Only  edition  available/ 


Seule  Edition  disponible 

Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata.  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  6t6  filmAes  A  nouveau  de  fa9on  A 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  fiimA  au  taux  de  reduction  indiquA  ci-dessous. 

10X  14X  18X  22X 


26X 


30X 


12X 


16X 


20X 


24X 


28X 


32X 


ails 

du 

»difier 

une 

nage 


The  copy  filmed  here  has  been  reproduced  thanks 
to  the  generosity  of: 

Izaak  Walton  Killam  Memorial  Library 
Dalhousie  University 


The  images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


L'exemplaire  film6  fut  reproduit  grfice  d  la 
g6n6rosit6  de: 

Izaak  Walton  Killam  Memorial  Library 
Dalhousie  University 

Les  images  suivantes  ont  6t6  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  et 
de  la  nettetd  de  l'exemplaire  filmd,  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  imijression. 


Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimde  sont  film^s  en  commengant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  selon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  filmds  en  commengant  par  la 
premidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  — ^  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED "),  or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 


Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaftra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbole  — ^>  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbole  V  signifie  "FIN". 


Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
differen*  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  ' '  o^-^^^  <»vnosure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  up|,c    iv^'-t  hand  corner,  left  to 
righi  and  top  to  bottom,  js  ma.iy  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagramit  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  dtre 
filmds  d  des  taux  de  reduction  diffdrents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
reproduit  en  un  ioul  clich6,  il  est  film^  d  f  artir 
de  Tangle  sup6rieur  gauche,  de  gauche  d  droite, 
at  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  n6cessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mdthode. 


rata 

D 


lelure. 


3 


32X 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7  uT  S  .       *"  /^ ■' .^^'i^^  i ^' «-  ^ ' 


RECIPROCAL  COAL 

Would  give  the  New  England 
States  Cheaper  Fuel 


A   REPLY 


TO 


WILLIAM    WHITMAN, 


PROTECTIONIST. 


D.  :;.   Kev.v^elW. 


I      I 


1^ 


t 


1 


RECIPROCAL  COAL 


With  Canada 


WOULD   GIVE  THE 


New  England  States 
Cheaper  Fuel. 


an  answer  to  WILLIAM   WHITMAN,  PROTECTIONIST. 


BY 


D.    J.    KENNELLY, 


'  I  ./ 


RECIPROCATIONIST. 


NEW  YORK : 
Henky  I.  Cain,  Pki'.teh,  ;(5  Vesey  Street. 
ls9i>. 


INTRODUCTORY. 


A  oopy  of  My.  Whitman's  pamphlet,  "Free  Coal,  Avould  it  give 
NewEnohiDd  i\riinufacturcrs  Cheaper  Fuel?"  was  handed  to  me 
in  Boston  a  few  days  ago,  hut,  althongli  travelling  on  my  business, 
and,  therefore,  in  possession  of  little  avaihihle  data,  yet  so  satis- 
fied was  I  of  the  erroneous  conclusions  of  the  writer,  that  I  deter- 
mined to  t)tfer  a  refutation  with  as  little  delay  as  jjossible. 

In  regard  to  Mr.  Whitman,  I  learn  h(,'  is  a  gentleman  from 
Canada,  long  settle  din  Massachusetts,  where  he  is  highly  esteemed 
— a  manufactu]-er,  and  a  fervid  l)eliever  in  iirotection. 

Of  myself  I  am  a  coal  operator  in  the  province  of  Nova  Scotia 
and  favor  reciprocity  with  the  United  States. 

I  talce  this  hurried  opportunity  of  *  ?ndering  my  thanks  to 
Alfred  Winsor,  l':s(|. ,  Prcs-lent  of  the  Boston  Tow-Boat  Company,  of 
Boston,  for  the  opi)ortiinity  he  afforded  me,  a  week  ago,  of  inspect- 
ing the  "Automatic  Coal  Shovel"  at  work,  discharging  coal  in 
Boston. 

New  York  City,  February  11th,  181)2. 


S'^ 


EGIPROGAL  (^OAk 


A  few  (lays  ago,  by  the  courtesy  of  the  President  of  the 
Boston  Tow  Boat  CoiMi)any,  I  was  alfonled  an  insi)eetion  of 
tlie  Antoinatie  Ooal-haii(llin<f  Apparatus  at  work,  (hseliaruiug- 
coal  out  of  a.  2,000  ton  harue  Just  arrived  from  Xewjtort  News. 
Tlie  coal  was  haiuUed  by  tlie  automatic  sliovel  in  a  very 
effective  nuunu'r,  diseliarjiinL''  from  the  har,ue  at  the  late  of  120 
tons  per  hour,  and  if  worked  continually  would  complete! '-V^^^^' 
tons  in  about  17  hours.  If  (juickei-  des]»;itcli  were  needed,  a 
seeon<l  shovel,  standing  on  a  tiack  near  at  hand  stood  ready 
for  work.  I  felt  greatly  pleased  with  what  1  saw,  and  could 
understand  how  by  the  use  of  other  machines,  conjoined  with 
ii  system  of  steamers  and  barg<'s,  a  large  quantity  of  coal  could 
be  nnicli  more  economically  handled  than  by  the  i»resent 
system  of  carrying  in  st<'amers  alone,  whose  unloading  would 
be  etfected  by  their  steam  winches  only. 

It  was  while  returning  from  this  Inspection  in  one  of  the 
com]>any's  tugs,  that,  noticiug  the  prevalence  of  the  English 
flag  flying  from  the  \essels  in  the  Harbor,  I  remarked  to  th(3 
courteims  otlicial  who  accom]>anied  me  "Is  it  not  a  pity  that, 
how  in  the  harbor  of  Boston,  there  is  ?^carcely  to  be  seen  one 
American  thig  flying  from  an  ovei-sea  vessel — nearly  all  are 
English." 

"Ves,"  he  replied,  "but  then  we  can  do  Ix'tter  with  our 
money  than  to  put  it  into  shijis."  I  said  :  "  What  about  the 
steamers  and  barges  in  which  you  biing  cord  to  l^oston  from 
Newport  News  and  other  i»ortsr'' — "()h  !"  he  replied,  "those 
vessels  pay  us  fairly  well,  although  I  acknowl<Mlg(3  their  first 
cost  here  to  have  been  nearly  double  the  sum  for  which  they 
could  1kiv(!  been  had  in  England."  Tlieieupon  we  com])ared  notes 
on  the  subject  of  the  cost,  to  him,  of  carrying  coals  l)y  his  own 

3 


stcaiiicrs  uiid  biH'ucs  in  riiitcd  States  wjilcis,  and  tlio  ('(»st  to 
iiic  of  cai lying  coal  in  Canadian  waters,  clncfly  from  Capi^ 
Brofon,  Nova  Scotia,  np  tlic  St.  liawrciicc  to  Montreal,  in 
steanieis  hiicd  in  the  Knulisli  niaiket,  at  jxt  <;ross  ton  registei' 
per  montli,  from  ]May  to  October.  I  am  not  at  iilH'rty  to  ,uiv(^ 
tlie  costs  fnrnislied  by  my  inlbrmant,  l)Ut  [  can  stale,  they  were^ 
pro  rata,  far  in  excess  ottliose  paid  by  inc.  IIea(bnitted  tlio 
iiaviuation  between  liuston  and  tlic  Southern  coal  poits  to  bo 
easier  and  more  favorable  hom  every  point  of  view  than  that  of 
tlie  St.  Lawrcnc(!  from  C;ipe  lircton.  lie  also,  as  fiankly 
adnntted  tliat  ev<!n  with  the  acknowledged  economical  system 
of  carrying- coal  in  Ids  steamers,  with  bar.nes  in  tow,  there 
would  be  a  loss  to  him  were  he  only  to  jcccive  tlie  rat<'s  1  was 
payinj;'  hired  steameis,  allhou.uh  these  same  rates  i^avo  a 
substantial  prolit  to  the  lOni^lish  shipowner.  Why  is  this? 
Well,  tlie  reason  is  not  far  to  seek.  Fifty  years  a<io  England 
liad  in  tbrce  the  lestrictive  navigation  laws  that  nunv  or  less 
are  governing  tlie  United  States  IMercantih^  jMarine  tonhiy. 
But  sh(^  had  the  wisdom  to  break  trom  shackles  that  were 
believed  vicious  to  her  trade,  and,  behold  her,  to-day,  the 
greatest  ocean  carrier  in  t'lc  world!  I  venture  very  respect- 
fully to  ask  if  from  this  theic  is  not  something  to  learn  by  the 
sixty-three  millions  of  people  in  the  United  States? 

Having  said  so  much,  it  remains  forme  to  turn  to  the  con- 
siderati(»n  of  the  subject  matter  of  ^fr.  Whitman's  pamphlet 
with  the  object  of  refuting  the  statements  made  by  ] dm  regard- 
ing Xc>v;i  Scotia  coals.  To  do  this,  I  propose  first,  to  establish 
certain  facts  from  precise  data  which,  fortunately,  I  am  in  a 
position  to  jModuce,  and  with  these  facts  i>roved  to  the  satisfac- 
tion of  the  reader,  I  show,  uncpiestionably,  that  twelve  out 
of  tlie  fifceen  propositions  set  forth  by  jMr.Whitman  on  pages  29, 
oO  and  31,  are  wholly  wrong,  that  the  thirteenth  is  partly 
right  and  i)artly  wrong,  and  that  wliile  the  remaining  two  are  in 
the  main  correct,  they  are  immaterial  for  the  purpose  of  his 
contention. 

Mr.  Whitman  deals  with  data  for  the  year  1890,  but  has 
introduced  matter  more  favorable  to  him  from  business  done  in 
1891.  I  shall  give  him  all  the  benetit  of  his  later  data,  and, 
therefore,  accept  the  jear  1891,  from  which  to  obtain  my  proofs. 

4 


riJOOF   OF   COST   OF  DKLIVFIMNC;    (H)AL   IX 

^rONTinOAL. 

Ill  tlu;  ycjir  1S|)J,  tin;  coriMHiitioii  I  rcpicsont,  dclivenMl  ;it 
]\roiitic;il  ami  at  a  plan;  near  to  it  (Sorcl)  .S."»,727  long  tons  of 
bitimiinoiis  coal.  The,  coal  was  carried  in  three  Kngiish 
.steamers,  hired  hy  tin',  gross  registered  ton,  per  month,  lor  the 
open  season  of  tlu^  St.  Lawrence  taken  at  live  months.  It  is 
immaterial  tor  the  purpose  (^I'niy  i)roof,  but  it  had  better  be 
stated  that  an  additional  (piantity  of  about  1S,000  tons  was 
delivered  in  the  St.  Lawrence  ports,  in  steamers  i)aid  by  the 
trip,  and  that  the  costs  per  trip,  were  about  the  same  to  me  as 
the  costs  of  th(^  time  steamers. 

The  three  hired  steamers  were  the 

"Simiuel  Tyzack"  at  1)s         per  month 

"Fdinburgh"  "   .Ss  (id  " 

'^Alaud  Ilartman"  "  8s  Gd  " 

I  had  to  furnish  to  the  vessel  bunker  coals  free  of  cost, 
during  the  period  of  their  hire,  and  also  to  i»ay  all  charges 
incurred,  (;xcept  wages  and  i)rovisions  of  crew,  and  insurance 
on  vessels' hulls. 

Tli(^  tot.'il  cost  to  me,  per  ton,  delivenMl  from  these  three 
vessels  at  the  end  of  the  season  (Octobei',  1891,)  was  61.o3-^, 
made  up  as  follows  : 

Hire  of  steamers  per  tou  of  coal  delivered 

Bunker  coals  at  vselling  price 

Trimming  charges  -  -  -         - 


$2.10 
2.04 
2.04 


IMlotago 

Stevedore 

Dumping  in  Montreal 

.Montreal  port  charges 

Wharfage  and  weighing 

Insuiance  on  Coal 

Sydney  Harbor  charges 


Mi')"-' 
.07°^ 

.20=^1 
.041* 

.00'^ 

.0J)«2 

.01*5 

.01«« 


o  '>24 


1.33' 


Now^,  being  desirous  that  my  readers  should  follow  me 
clearly,  I  state  that  this  $1.33-*  covered  every  charge  of  every 
description  paid  by  me  to  deliver  one  long  ton  of  coal  to  the 
buyer  iu  ]Montreal. 

5 


The  (|ii('sli(Hi  of  aiiioiiiit  of  «'oiiiiiiissioii  i»;ii(l  to  ii«;('iits  \n 
iiol  iii;il«'ii;tl,  for  Mr.  \\!;itiii:iii  docs  not  dciil  with  it  and, 
tlicrcforc,  iicillirr  do  I. 

M\  NKXT  I'OIN'I'  IS  TO  KS'l'AIJMSll  TIIK  JJKLATIVK  COST 
<H"  r.\l{I{VI\(}  <<)ATi  TO  IJoSTOX  111  tlicsc  SilinO  StcailM'IS,  SUJ)- 
posinn  tiiat  I  dclicclcd  tliciii  to  lli.il  port  Iroiii  Sydney,  Caix; 
Urt'ton,  instead  of  si'ndinu'  tiicin  to  Montreal,  and  tins  deflec- 
tion, for  Miy  ]nir|M»scs,  niay  lie  lor  one  nionlh  or  ior  tlie  whole 
five  months  ol'llic  St.  Lawiviice  season. 

TIi(!"SanmeI  Tyzack"  and  "3Iand  Ilartniaiiir' each  made 
tliirtceii  trips  up  the  St.  Lawrence.  ''I'lie  "  lOdinlmruli,"  du<; 
to  an  accident,  heyond  her  contr(d,  made  twelve  only.  Other- 
wise she  also  wonld  liaxc  made  thirteen  trij>s. 

'riiese  thirteen  trijts,  oi'  twehc  and  a  half  round  tii])s 
h(nn  Sydney  to  ^rontreal,  were  made  in  170  days,  or  a  little 
over  thii'teen  (lays  |»er  round  trij). 

''I'o  e\i»lain  the  twelve  and  a  half  I'onnd  tri])s:  Each  vessel 
came  on  pav  when  reparted  readv  lor  loadiiii;-  at  Svdnev,  and 
was  declared  olf  pa\'  on  the  delivery  of  her  last  cargo  in 
Montreal. 

It  will  be  assumed  that  my  hired  steamers  can  be  as 
readily  unloaded  at  lioston,  as  at  3lontieal,  I  stated  on  the 
oi)eniii,<i-  i>a,<ie  that,  within  the  last  few  days,  1  had  seen  at  Bos- 
ton coal  unloaded  by  a  single!  automatic  shovel  at  the  niU)  o^ 
I'JO  tons  i)er  hour. 

In  jMonti'cal,  working  night  and  day,  with  her  steam 
Avinches,  it  took  at  best  thirty  hours  to  unload  2,400  tons  from 
the  "  Samuel  Ty/ack."  'JMierefore,  one  automatic  shovel  will 
do  ill  IJoston,  in  twenty  hours,  what  the  four  steam  winches  of 
a  steamer  will  do  in  ]M()ntreal  in  thirty  hours,  not  to  mention 
th(?  coxsKQUKNT  ECOxo.MV  due  to  the  displacement  of  manual 
labor  by  the  steam  shovel. 

But  1  am  willing  to  accept,  for  the  ])urposes  of  my  conten- 
tion, that  Boston  stands  only  on  the  same  plane  as  JNIontreal, 
in  regard  to  facilities  for  discharging  and  despatching  of  the 
vessel. 

Xow,  as  my  steamer,  in  her  twelve  and  a  half  round  trips 
from  Sydney  to  .Montreal,  eovei's  2,187.J  miles  more  ground 
than   she   would  cov(>r  in  the  same  number  of  trips  while  run- 

6 


iiin.ii  froiii  Sydney  to  llostoii,  it  follows  slic  would  niMkc  liftccii 
iiiid  ;i  liiilflrips  to  IJostoii  iit  the  s;uiie  time  lli;it  slic  iiuido 
twelve  iiiid  a.  liiilf  ((»  MoiiticMl.  I  i)laee  tiiis  joirt  of  my  ))roof 
ill  tJK!  [M.'sition  least  favoiable  to  myself,  foi-  it^  is  iiiidouhled 
lliat  the  down  (,'urreiit  between  Montreal  and  (^>nel>ee,  tlu^  in- 
trieale  naviiiation  of  that  ])arl  o!  the  St.  Lawicnee,  and  tlio 
detention  dne  to  aiieliorinu  for  tides,  in\arial>ly  one  and  fre- 
(luentiy  all,  eanse  delays  wliieli,  in  a  ])eri(id  of  live  mordlis, 
l»rolial>l\  resnit  in  ;in  aildilional  cost  of,  at  least,  tliice  cents 
per  ton  a.uainst  Sidney  and  the  St.  Lawienec,  as  eoni[)ai('(l 
with  Sy(hM\v  and  r»oston. 

Disi'e<;ardin<i',  tor  the  picsent,  this  point  in  my  favor,  I  lind 
tliat  my  steamer,  which  had  cost  me  .d.V"  between  Syiniey 
ai.d  Montieal,  will  now  c(»si  between   Sydney  and    IJoston  .51"^ 

rOliT   CirARGKS   OF    IJOSTOX     ("O.MI'A  lilOl)    WITH 
THOSE  OF  .MOXTJ{KAL. 

I  aiTlve  at   the  comjjarison  of  these  cliaru-es  as  follows: — 
A  few  years  a,«;-o  the  SS.  ''  Highland  Prince''  discharged  tor 
ns  at,  Montreal.     lv\elnsive  of  agcids'  and  commission  charges 
her  total  ex])enses  were  S'.Hio.OO. 

L.'iter,  she  discharged  at  Boston  with  the  tbllowing  expen- 
ses: 

Toimage  dues  1,400  tons,  at  oc  i)er  ton  8  -12.(K) 
Inward  pilotage,  17  feet  -  -  -  -  Hi.rA) 
Outward      "       l.'J     "  ...  2().()0 

Custom  J  louse  _  _  _         _         .       V2.W) 

Consul         -         •  .  _         _         _  'j.r»n 

Running  lines  -  -  _         .         _         (;.()0 

Discharging  1,750  tons  at '-.ju       -         -         -   4o7.r)0 


^Montreal  expenses 


^(JO'i.oO 
025.00 


^Montreal   in  exc(.'ss  of  Boston  expenses,         $3'Jli.50 

Oil  .18  *2  CENTS  PEU  TOX  IN  FAVOR  OF  BoSTON. 

But  while  the  charges  have  remained  stationary  in 
Boston,  the  stevedores  of  Montreal  have  lately  been  compelled 
to  advance  the  price  tbr  discharging  coal,  three  cents  per  ton. 


CONCLUSIVE  TEOOF  OF  FREIGHT  AND  CHAllGES 

TO  BOSTON. 

I  liave  tliciefoie  conclusively  proved  tlie  following,  and  the 
data  is  obtained  from  the  books  of  my  company: 

Cost     ])(3r    long    ton     of    coid    delivered    in    Montreal 
during  1S91.  $1.33-* 

Difterence  of  cost  of  freight  of  long  ton 
delivered  in  Boston,  being  the  dif- 
ference between  .(>()  ^'^  cents  and 
.54  "'^  cents,  .12*^ 

DiflV'rence    of  charges  between   Montreal 

and  Boston  as  above,  .21*^ 


rv 


<>Q  90 


Totnl  of  differences  of  cost  and  clinrges,        .33 

Total  charues  on  one  lonu'  ton  of  coal  deliver- 
ed  in  Boston  from  Sydney,  Cape 
Breton. 


.33 


90 


.09 


34 


AVHAT   THEREL  ORE  IT  AVILL  COST  TO  DELIVER 
ONE  LONG  TON  OF  COAL  IN  BOSTON. 

During  the  year  1891  run  of  mines  coal,  or  coal  of  the 
character  supi)lied  to  mumifacturers,  was  sold  at  Sydney  and 
from  the  oth(;r  Cape  Breton  collieries  f.o.b.  $1.15  nett,  the  long 
ton  of  2,249  pounds,  1)ut  for  competing  points  it  was  sold  for 
$1.3i). 

I  therefore  adopt  the  competing  price  f.o.b.      $1.35  ^ 

Deliveiy  in  Boston,  as  above.  99  ^* 

Duty  ])aid  L^nited  States. 


r-  00 
I  (J  •  ■ 


Total  for  which  one  long  ton  can  l)e 

delivered  at  Boston  $3.99  ^* 

In  othei'  words  coal  could  be  delivered  by  me  in  Boston  at 
$3.10  ])er  long  ton,  duty  i)aid. 

But  may  I  not  fairly  claim  that,  by  the  adoption  of  the 
improved  metliod  of  tiansporting  my  coal  in  steamers  towing 
barges,  instead  of,  as  now,  in  hired  steamers  at  per  month, 
I  can  save,  at  least,  10  cents  per  ton  and  also  elaim  the 
additional   saving  of,  at   least,  10  cents   per  ton  in  handling 

8 


.33 


90 


by  tli('  aiitomatir  sliovol,  and  thus  by  tliis  ivtlnctioii  of20  conts 
ill  my  ('xpcnscs  make  my  price  to  the  consumer  $2.1)0  instead 
of  83.10  ?  1  do  not,  however,  press  this  view,  Init  rest  on  my 
proof  tliat  T  can  put  a  long  ton  of  coal  into  Boston  at  $3.10 
duty  pai<l,  and,  haviiiii  proved  this  fact,  I  do  not  apprehend 
much  difhculty  in  refuting  the  twelve  propositions  to  which  I 
have  referred. 

The  limited  time  at  my  disposal  preveiitK  me  trom  travel- 
ling over  a  gr<'at  deal  of  ground  not  pertinent  to  the  question 
asked  by  Mr.  Whitman  in  his  pamphlet,  altlumgh  it  contains 
imich  that  is  in  itself  valuable  and  interesting  as  a  contribu- 
tion t(>  coal  litenitnre. 

He  aslvs:  "'Free  coal,  would  it  give  New  Engliind  manu- 
facturers cheaper  fuel! "  It  seems  to  me  if  I  succeed  in  dis- 
proving his  second  proposition,  on  pnge  20,  I  shall  have  suc- 
ceeded to  the  full,  for  really  that  covers  the  whole  gnmnd  in 
dis]»ute.  His  i»roi)osition  is:  "That  Xew  England  now  ]>ro- 
cures  her  coal  sup])ly  more  cheaply  than  they  could  procure  it 
from  Xova  Scotia  with  the  duty  removed."  This  is  certainly 
a  very  bold  proposition  and,  if  true,  a  very  alarming  one  for  us 
who  are  coal  oi)eratois  in  Xova  Scotia. 

]Mr.  Whitmim  says: 

"It  seems  to  me,  in  view  of  the  disadvantages  by  which 
nature  burdens  ^lassacimsctts  as  a  manufacturing  State,  that 
8iX('EHK  prot(  .'tionists  might  Ix'  jusrilicd  in  demanding  free 
coal,  as  a  i)artial  (►llx't  to  these  disadvantages,  if  it  could  be 
(h'liionstrated  that  the  removal  of  the  duty  would  make  an 
appre<'iable  ditlerence  in  the  cost  of  fuel  eonsumed  in  maiiu- 
lacturing." 

Tli«'  SMALL  CAPITALS  are  mine.  I  confess  it  is  difficult  for 
me  to  understand  how  any  sincere  protectionist,  and  I  believe 
^Iv.  Whitman  is  one  and  a  ])roteeted  manufacturer,  could  seek 
to  take  a  stone  out  of  the  wall  of  protection,  lest  in  doing  so 
the  whole  siriicture  should  top]tle.  It  would  be  Just  as  dithcult 
forme  to  understand  a  free  trader  asking  tor  protection  on  any 
one  article  used  by  hi'ii  in  his  business.    lU'  goes  on  to  say: 

"  The  iiivestiiiation  was  not  conducted  to  demonstrate 
any  ])reconceiv(  (1  theory  on  the  subject;  and  the  results  are 
impartially  presented.  All  statements  made  have  been  care- 
fuliv  verilied,    and   it   is   l)elieved   that   none  of  them  can  be 

9 


sucfossfiilly  cliiillenocd.  'riicy  i-evcul  a  state  of  facts  so 
wliollv  (lilterciit  from  tliat  (•oiiiiiionls  (MitcrtaiiKMl  as  to  snr- 
pnsi!  the  writer.  Tliev  show  that  i'lvv  coal  woiihl  not  result 
HI  the  saviiio-  of  a.  siiiM;j(3  dollai'  to  Xew  Eiioland,  in  the  cost  of 
the  coal  sIm'  consiliums.     Evk\  if  .any  CFri:AiM:xrN(^  of  coal 

COULD  FOf.LOW,  IT  WOULD  I5K  ACCOM  I'ANIED  HY^  A  CORKES- 
UOXDfNC;  UFDUCTIOX  IX  TIIK  COST  Ol'  COAL  CONSUMED  ELSE- 
^VMKFtE     IN    THE     rNrTLD    STATES,  SO   THAT   THE    RELATIVE 

T'osiTiox  OF  Xi;w  England  avould  kkmaix  i  xcirAxoED." 
AVhen  Ml.  Whitman  printed  the  ahove  ovei-  his  name, 
I  can  imauiiie  how  Judicial  must  have  been  his  res<'arch, — no 
])ivconceived  theory— results  impaitially  lu'esented— all  state- 
meiils  carefully  veiilied,  revealiii.u- a.  state  of  facts  as  to  surprise 
the  writei-.  Eive  coal  .vonhl  not  saxc  a  dollar  to  Xew  En,ulaiid, 
even  if  it  did  ii  would  he  of  no  ^ood,  for  other  states  would 
reap  tlu^  same  l.eiielit,  and  Xew  En.uiand  would  not  be  a  bit 
the  better.  But,  Mr.  Whitman,  your  luotectionist  instincts  had 
the  best  of  you  in  the  latter  i)art  of  your  conclusion,  for,  when 
it  came  to  sharin.u-  with  the  other  states  the  benelit  to  be 
derived  from  free  coal,  you  dropi>ed  the  judicial,  and,  as  a  pro- 
tectionist, in  a  converse  way,  said  :  "Xo,  for  if  our  State  cannot 
have  all  the  benelit  for  itself,  let  the  free  coal  ,<iO." 

Let  us  now  examine  the  sources  from  which  ^Ir.  Whitman 
draws  the  information  on  which  is  based  tlu^  sweeping-  i)ropo- 
sition  contained  in  lus  second  proi>osition,  oiv<Mi  above,  and,  to 
do  this,  r  extract  the  following-  from  his  pa.^c.  8: 

"  The  ])ractical  (picstion  is,  If  the  dutv  upon  foreiuii  coal 
was  repealed,  could  I  save  the  whole  or  anv  part  of  that  dutv 
upon  the  coal  I  consume  V 

JTe  replies  to  this  (juestion  as  follows: 

"  In  seeking  the  answer  to  this ([uestion,  Wmvo.  not  drawn 
my  conclusions  from  books.  They  are  founded  ui>on  the 
actu.al  business  exiterience  of  men  wh(>  have  handled  and  used 
the  coals  both  of  the  riiitcd  States  and  Xova  Scotia,  and 
upon  the  reports  and  data  furnished  by  men  lonu"  familiar  with 
pnjvuicial  c(»al  mines.  I  acknowlcdo'c  my  ind«;lU:edness  to  Mr. 
E.  (Jilpin,  Jr.,  the  Inspector  of  the  Xova  Scotia,  nnnes,  for 
much  valuable  intbrmatiou  rcuardiiio-  them  and  their  prcMlucts, 
and  also  to  Mr.  I>.  .AIcDoiiald,  Colh'ctor  of  the  jjort  of  Pictou,' 
Xova  Scotia.  I  am  i-rciatly  indebted  also  to  Mr.  E.  II.  ()diorne| 
who  has  handled  all  varieties  of  tbrei,i>n  and  domestic  coal  at 
the  port  of  Boston    for   more    than    tiiirty   years,  and   whoso 

1(1 


-no 


kiiowit'duv  of  tlie  wholi'  subject  is  not  exrcodcd  l>y  tliat  of  any 
man  in  New  Enuland.  Of  the  books  consulted,  1  have  found 
tlio  most  valuable  to  be  Walter  K.  Johnson's  "Coal  Trade  of 
P>ritish  America,  ^ith  Kesearches  on  the  Characters  and 
Practical  \'alues  of  American  and  Forei.un  Coal,"  published  m 

^'This  iiKiuiry  must  necessarily  be  limited  t<»  the  coal 
uiinesof  Nova  Scotia.  They  are  the  only  coal  deixisits  so 
situated  eonnnercially  iAu\  ueouraphieally  that  tliey  can  ('ome 
into  competition  with  the  coal  mines  of  the  United  Slates. 
The  iiKpiiry  may  also  be  eontii  1  e\clusiv(dy  to  bituminous 
coals  for  industrial  purjtoses  only.  There  are  no  mines  ot 
anthracite  coal  outside  of  the  Tinted  States;  and  for  domestic 
pur]>«)ses  bituminous  coals  have  lon.u'  been  superseded  by  th(^ 
anthracite  coals  of  l*einisylvania,  which  aiv  much  better 
a4ai)ted  for  liousehold  use.'' 

Having  carefully  read,  and  read  again,  the  pages  of  .AFr. 
Whitman's  pamphlet,  I  am  unable  to  discover  the  persons  re- 
ferred to  by  him  as  men  of  ^' business  exiH'rience  "  who  have 
both  handled  and  used  the  coals  of  Nova  Scotia-  In  this 
sense  he  caiuiot  refer  to  Mv.  (lilpin,  the  very  ellicient  and 
estimable  rnsju'Ctor  ot  the  Nova  Scotia  mines,  nor  to  ^Ir.  I). 
JMcDonald,  Collector  of  the  Port  of  IMctou,  Nova  Scotia,  lie 
must  therelbre  refer  to  .Air.  Odiorne,  ''wlios*'  knowledge  of  the 
wlioh^  subiect  is  not  exc(^eded  bv  anv  man  in  New  l^ngland.' 
Curiously  enough,  we  have  been  treated  to  a  gi'eat  deal  ot 
Mr.  Odiorne,  of  late,  in  Canada,  particularly  at  Ottawa,  at  tlu^ 
hands  of  those  who  are  anxious  that  there  shall  be  no  recijuo- 
city  in  coal  with  the  Ignited  States.  Now,  I  do  not  seek  to  de- 
tract from  Mr.  Odiorne  in  any  way.  I  assume  he  is  a  gentleman 
of  considerable  exi)crience  in  his  business  as  a  dealer  in  coals, 
1  calh'd  upon  him  a  few  UKtriungs  ago,  and  he  did  me  the 
kindness  of  furnishing  me  with  the  cojty  of  Mr.  Whitman's 
pamjihlet,  to  which  1  am  now  making  reply.  The  ''<»py  bears 
the  stamp  "II,  Odiorne  ^:  Co.,  Comnussion  :Merchants, 
Boston."  I  thaid<ed  .Mr.  Odiorne  and  ventured  to  express  to 
him  the  belief  that  1  could  compete  Avith  coal  delivered  in 
]5oston,  even  with  the  duty  on.  Ihit  he,  with  some  warmth, 
informed  me  the  thing  was  impossible,  that  he  knew  what 
he  was  talking  about,  that  he  was  an  ex[>ert,  and  that  no 
man  knew  www  about  coals  than  he — and  as  the  atmos[»here 

11 


I 


of  ]\rr.  Odiorno's  oflicc  se(3nio(l  to  nie  to  be  u'c'tting  perceptibly 
wanner,  well,  I  said  "good  nion.ing,"  and  found  my  way  to 
the  street.     lint   wliydid    Mr.   Odiorne    "warm    up "  when  I 
ventured   to   express   the   belief  that  I   eould  put  coal  into 
Boston   even   with   the   duty   on?      Can   it   be   that  in  Mr. 
Odiorne's  person  is  summed  up  all  the  business  experienee  of 
the  men  who  have  handled  and  used  the  eoals  both  of  the  IJnited 
{States  and  Nova  Scotia,  to  whom  Mr.   Whitman  expresses 
hunselfassogreatly  indebted,  who  has   handled  all   varieties 
of  foreign   and  domestic  coal  at  the  Tort  of  ]ioston  for  more 
than  thirty  years,  and  iinjilly,  "  Avhose  knowledge  of  the  whole 
subject  is  not  exceeded  by  that  of  any  man  in  Xew  England?'' 
Or  is  there   a  possibility  thiit  Mr.  Odiorne  is  so  enanwed  of 
th(;  duty  i)Iaced  on  coal  by  his  own  government,  and  equal!" 
so   that   the   like  condition  opeiates  against  American   coal 
mider  the  so  cnlled  "National  Policy  ''  of  Canada,  that  he  con- 
sents to  sink  the  business  instinct  of  a  dealer  in  coals,  for  the 
pleasure  of  i>osing  ax  ^Mr.  AVhitman's  man,  whose  knowledge 
of  the  whole  subject  of  coals  exceeds  that  of  any  other  in  Ne\v 
Enghind? 

Xo  doubt  3Ir.  Odioine  has  reason  to  be  i)roud  of  tlie 
uni(iue  position  to  Avhich  3rr.  Whitman  has  advertised  him. 
I  cheerfully  admit  that  .Air.  Odiorne  knows  how  to  buy  and 
sell  coals,  and  it  will  l)e  s;id  to  hui'l  him  from  the  pedestal  to 
which  he  has  been  raised  by  3Ir.  Whitman;  but  hard  facts 
Mill  bring  him  assuredly  to  the  ground. 

Assuming,  then,  that  ^Ir.  Odiorne  is  the  "business experi- 
ence "of  .Air.  Whitman,  for  1  do  not  lind  any  one  else  men- 
tioned in  this  connection  throughout  the  whole  pamiddet,  I 
find  myself  in  contlict  with  a  gentleman  "whose  knowledge' of 
the  wholes  subject  is  not  exceeded  by  tliat  of  any  man  in  Xew 
England." 

1  take,  then,  from  page  10  his  statement,  as  follows  : 
"  The  pi-ice  of  Cmnberland  coal  in  ism  Mas  82.40  per  ton 
ree  on  board  at  lialtimore,  and  82.r>0  p<T  ton  free  on  l>oard  at 
1  hihulelphia.  These  prices  may  be  taken  as  standards,  for 
while  some  coals  have  been  delivered  at  less  prices  than  these 
vet  the  best  bituminous  coals  tbr  manufacturing  purposes  cost' 
^id  down  in  Boston,  about  the  same  as  the  C.unherland  coals', 
riieretore,  the  cost  in  18!H)  tor  the  Cumberland  coal  delivered 

12 


fit  the  wliaivi's  in  Boston  was  as  follows: 

If  sliipiK'd  from  lialtiiiiore,  cost  free  on  board,    $2.M) 
Fivight,  -  .  -  -  _     i.'j,-) 

Jnsuiance,  _  _  -  _  .02 

Total  cost  at  wliarvos  in  Boston,         -         8'>.<h 
If  sliipjuMl  from  IMiiladcIpliia,  the  cost  was  as  follows  : 

Cost  free  on  board  at  Phila(leli>hia,  -  $2.r)() 

Frei,uht  to  Boston,         .  -  .  .       1.(10 

Insnrance,  .  .  .  .  .02 


Total,  -  -  .  .  5<;i.r,2 

8ca  hiiuins  can  usually  be  obtained  at  less  than  the  rates 
I  have  iiicntioned.  The  ]>resentrate  this  ISth  of  February,  at 
the  most  inclement  season  of  the  year,  from  Philadelithia  to 
Boston,  is  Sl.OO  ])er  ton.  This  I  can  vouch  for,  l)ecause  it  is 
an  actual  transaction  made  by  me  this  day. 

'■  ISinco  this  paper  was  writtiii.  reason,  coiitracts  have  beoninadfi  from 
rhiladelpliia  at  W  cents,  ami  from  Haltimoicat  $l.(l(t.  There  have  been  rates  on 
sinj,'le  sliijimi'Uts  as  low  as  f.O  cents  irom  I'hiladelpliia  and  CO  (lents  from  Balti- 
more, dnrini^  the  season  of  ISDIJ 

"  In  view  of  the  foreuoiuu- it  is  fair  to  say  that  Ctunbcrland 
coal  in  iS'in  was  laid  down  by  vessels  at  the\vhar\'es  in  Boston 
for  s-'i..VJ  per  ton  of  2'J4()  pounds." 

I  accept  ^Fr.  Whitman's  foicuoinj;- tiuures  of  a  transaction 
made  on  the  18th  I'^ebruary,  lSi)l,  givino- th(^  total  cost  AL()N(i- 
.SIDE  at  wharves,  8'>.'">2,  which  sum,  with  dischargiuii'  costs, '25 
cents,  added,  totals  8'">.77  landed.  1  iiave  shown  that  I  can 
land  coal  at  $3.10,  and  am  therefore  (IT  cents  cheai)er  than 
Cumbeilnnd  coal.  It  is  triu?  Mr.  Whitman  meets  me  here 
Mith  an  alleojition  that  Sydney  coals  an*  25  ])er  cent,  inferior 
to  the  Cumberland  coals,  see  page  25  of  his  i)amphlet.  I 
adnnt  the  inferiority  of  my  Sydney  Emery  coals  to  those  of 
Cumberland  to  the  extent  of  2.S  cents  per  ton,  as  I  shall  clearly 
prove  further  on.  How  does  he  arrive  at  this  startling  an- 
nouncement of  the  25  per  cent,  inferiority  ?  At  his  i)age  8, 
already  quoted,  he  says:  "1  liave  not  drawn  my  conclusion 
from  books,"  and  in  truth  I  do  not  Hnd  that  he  does  except- 
ing in  one  case,  and  that  is  from  W.  II.  rlohnsoifs  investiga- 
tions into  coal,  made  in  the  years  1842  and  1843,  and  not  in 
1843  and  1844,  as  stated  by  3Ir.  Whitman.  He  also  states 
on  page  25,  that   "  3Ir.  Johnson   is   regarded    as    standard 

13 


nutlioiity  on  tliis  subject;'  That  is  liow  :\ri.  AVliitman  seeks  to 
make  out  tlu;  oreat  superiority  of  Cuniherland  eoal  over  Syd- 
iwy  eoal.  Now,  at  tlie  time  .Air.  Jolnison  was  makiui;-  l)is  re- 
searelies,  tlie  sales  of  eoal  in  tlie  whole  of  Xova  Scotia  were, 
in  lS4.'i,  10r),l(>l  tons,  and  that  Irom  juobably  two  or  tl  jo 
Avorking  seams  only,  wluueas,  to-day,  tlieic  aie  in  that  Pro- 
vince V.)  working  collieries^  operating  from  sev<'ral  seams,  and, 
it  may  he  said,  many  of  these  collieries  sellin^-,  each  more 
than  the  whoh'  total  of  1.S4M. 

^Ir.  W'hitiiian  says  atpaii'es  LM  and  *J,~) : 

"Sofaras  I  can  ascertain,  the  uidyexliaustive  incpiiry  made 
iiilo  this  subject  was  that  made  by  Walter  li  .lohnson  for  the 
Tnited  States  (lovermnent  in  ls'4;>  and  IS-U.  At  that  time 
the  bituminous  coal  mines  (»f  the  Tnited  States  had  n^t  been 
at  ill!  deyeloiKMl.  and  but  lit  lie  was  known  leuarding  the  value 
(»t  bitimiinoiis  co:d  tor  manufaclurinu'  i)uri)oses. 

^'Mv  .lohiison  afterwards  publisheda  book  in  ISoO  entitk'd, 
'The  coal  trade  of  Urilish  America,  with  Researches  on  the 
Characters  and  P.aclical  Vahu's  of  American  and  foreiun 
coals."  In  this  book  it  is  staled  that  the  number  of  pounds'of 
water  at  'J12  de.iirces  evaporat.'d  In  one  imuuuI  ot  Xova  Scotia 
coal  is  as  follows  : 


8.41  ) 

S.4,S  S  •^^"•''••».^<N 


8.44 


.  JMctou  coal, 

Sydney  coal,  -  -  _  _  ji^t) 

'Mu  the  same  table  will  be  found  live  tests  of  the3[aryland 
bitmuinous  c(.als,  the  avera-c  of  which  nives  an  evaporative 
l)ower  of  !>.«>S.  This  shows  that  the  CumlM'rland  coals  of  3Iary- 
laiid  had  a  value  18  1-4  i)er  coitum  greater  than  that  of  the 
Pictcu  coals,  and  LT)  per  centum  greater  than  that  of  the  Svd- 
ney  coals. 

''Mr.  Johnson  in  summing  u])  hisrejiort  makes  the  follow- 
mg  statement:  '  It  will  not  fail  to  be  nmiarked  that  the  justlv 
celebrated  foreign  bitumiucuis  coals  of  Newcastle,  Livcrjux)! 
Scotland,  Pictou.  and  Sydney,  which  constitute  the  present 
reliance  of  the  great  lines  of  Atlantic  steamers,  are  fidlv 
e(iualled  or  rather  surpass(-d  iii  strength  bv  the  analooons coals 
ol  eastern  Virginia  ;  that  they  are  decidedlv  surpassed  bv  all 
thelree-burnmg  coals  of  :Maryland  and  rennsvlvania,  and  that 
an  eipially  decided  advantage  in  stiNuu-uvneratinu-  power  is  en- 
joyeil  by  th(^  anthracite  (»ver  the  toreioi,  coals  trieil,  whether  we 
considerthem  in  equal  weights  or  ecpial  l)ulks.' 

/'Mr.  Johnson   is  regarded  as  standard  authoritv  on  this 
subject.' 


14 


\<»\v,  as  a  fact,  and  ^Ii'.Wiiitmaii  is  silent  upon  the  point, 
]Mr.  Johnson  confessed  42  years  a^^o  tlie  insntl'eieney  of  his 
own  tests  niad(^  eiifht  years  before  the  pnbHeation  of  his  book. 
1  happen  to  be  laniiUar  with  ]Mr.  Jolnison's  writings.  Hut,  if 
vcrilieation  is  necessary,  I  refer  to  the  able  and  exhanstiv(3 
jtaper  eontribnt<'d  by  j\Ir.  William  Kent,  M.  K.,  to  llu? 
*' J'ji,i;i::e(iing  and  ^Mining  Journal,''  whieh  ai)peared  in  its 
four  nund»ers  of  ()et(»ber,  ls<)l,  tli(»rou,i>lily  iiiNcsli mating  the 
labors  of  3Ir.  Johnson,  and,  where  he  eonid,  mentioning  his 
api)i'eeiation  of  them,  but,  none  the  less,  i)oiiitiiig  out  faet(>rs  of 
errors  which  Mr.  Johnson  himself,  with  manly  lionesty,  had 
admitted,  fiom  the  manner  of  his  investigation,  must  inevital)ly 
be  found. 

"This,  then,  is  the  standard  authoiity  with  which  ]\rr, Whit- 
man seeks  to  stigmatize  the  coals  of  Nova  Scotia  of  to-day 
which,  tifty  years  ago.  were  lying  buried  unheeded  and  un- 
kuowii.  Yet,  3Ir.  NMiitmau  states,  "•  The  results  are  im|»ai- 
tially  presented.'* 

I  ha\e  slunvn  tliat  31r.  Wiiitman's  -•  standard  authority  " 
consists  of  an  obsoh'te  volume,  the  writer  of  which  admitted  at 
the  time  of  its  i)ublication  that  his  results  were  ojx'ii  to  (pies- 
tion,  and  whi«'b  icsults  later  researches  fully  xcrilied  as  erro- 
]u.M)Us.  In  otlier  W(»rds  3li-.  Whitman  ap]»lics  y\i:  Johnson's 
remarks  made  about  hfly  years  ago  in  icgard  to  one  giade  (»f 
coal,  to  products  then  uidvuowu  and  since  adnntted  to  be  of 
very  sui»crior  (pudity. 

But  as  I  have  to  proNc  my  case,  I  am  compelled,  veiv  ic- 
luetautly,  to  ent<  i'  the  lists  against  IMctou  coal.  I  may  say  it 
is  no  longer  a  ((uestioii,  with  users  of  coal,  as  to  the  sui)erioritv 
of  Sydney  coals  over  Pictou.  This  (piestion  has  been  solved 
in  favoi'  of  Sydney,  IJut  if  there  be  any  eomtbrt  to  us  iis 
having  that  fact  ]»rovcd,  we  shall  not  long  enjoy  the  victor\- 
for  it  is  beyond  dou])t  the  IMctou  tield  will  cease  to  be  pro- 
ductive within  a  century,  whereas  the  coal  known  to  us,  in 
Cape  Uretou,  ^vill  last  for  many  centuries. 

The  Pictou  coals  have  been  i^rized  for  their  hardness,  just 
as  nuich  as  the  Sydney  coals  were  ])i'ejudiced  by  their  softn(»ss. 
But  a  time  came  when  it  was  discovered  that  "hai'dness"  was 
not  everything  in  coal,  and,  also,  that  "softness  "  did  not  mean 

15 


inferiority  wlicn  Jissociated  witli  ridi  cjirboii.  This  was  cxeiii- 
plilied  by  v.w  tlircc  years  ago,  in  tlie  foliowinj;'  way:  I  called 
upon  OIK!  of  our  customers,  a  large  niainifacturer  in  ]\ron- 
treal,  wlio,  during  tlie  past  year,  had  been  using  Pictou  coal 
and  also  ours.  Tlie  engineer,  having  been  sent  for,  came  into 
the  odice,  and  having  been  told  that  I  was  there  about  coal, 
he  exclaimed,  "  Oh,  we  don't  want  any  more  of  that  coal,  for 
W(i  have  no  room  left  for  tlie  ashes."  Jlis  mistake  was  ex- 
plained,and,  1  believe, we  received  the  whole  order  for  the  year. 
Nevertheless,  rietouciKd  is  not  ({uite  so  bad  as  engineers  have 
represented  it. 

Jn  order  to  answer  the  onslaught  made  by  ^NFr.  Whitnian 
on  Cape  liretou  coals,  1  am  bound  to  ollei-  the  ibllowing  in  de- 
fence of  them:  ]My  com])any,  in  the  earlier  years  (►fits  ex- 
istence, obtained  certilicates,  of  which  the  following  are  a  few. 
It  has  ceased  to  jirocure  them  (►f  late  years  from  the  fact  that 
the  coals  ar(^  now  well  known  and  established. 

Extract  from  report  of  Engineer,  11.  M.  S.  "  Spartan," 
Veiy  good  lor  generating  steam    (iuickl3',  3  per  cent,  of 
ash,  (J  i»er  cent,  of  clinker,  and  large  quantities  of  light  brown 
and  black  smoke. 

Tin:  Amazon  Stk.vm  XAVKiATiox  Company,  Limited, 
10.")  Gresham  House,  Old  Broad  Street, 

London^  E.  C,  1st  December,  1887. 
W.  KiDSOX,  Esq., 

Secretaiy  Cape  Breton  Co.,  8  Union  Court,  E.  C. 
Dear  Sir: — In   re]»ly  to  >our  favor  ot  yesterday,  I  beg  to 
subjoin  a  copy  of  rei)ort  on  the  cargo  of  coal  per  "  Herbert  J. 
Olive  "  consigned  to  our  ag(Mit  at  Para  for  trial  on  account  of 
thiscom[»any.      1  am,  dear  sir, 

Yours  faithfullv, 
(Signed.)  EitAXCis  INIoketox, 

xVsst.  Secretary. 

Dear  Sir: — In  answer  to  your  official  note,  dated  13th 
Oct.  ulto.,  ordering  to  have  a  trial  of  the  coals  lately  arrived 
per  lugger  "  Herbert  J.  Olive,"  1  beg  to  inform  you  that  such 
trial  has  taken  place  on  board  the  steamers '•  jNEorajo"  and 
"Javary,"  and,  after  a  comparison  with  the  others  existing  in 

16 


IS  oxein- 
I  cjilloil 
in  crou- 
ton   (M>ul 

iiiKi  into 
out  coal, 
coal,  for 
Avas  cx- 
lic!  year, 
icis  liavo 

riiitip.an 
g  in  (Ic- 
['  its  C'x- 
e  a  few. 
net  that 

an," 
eent,  of 
t  brown 


nited, 

1887. 

J. 

[  beg  to 
rbert  J. 
3ount  of 


itary. 

ed  13th 
arrived 
at  such 
jo"  and 
ting  in 


our  drpot,  It  shows  ;iii  eeououiy  of  (5  per  cent.,  as  per  lOugl- 
neer's.Iouriial,  nud  tlie  advautages  of  kee[»ing  the  fn«'S  cleau 
and  pnxhu'ing  f(!W  aslies,  very  inip»>rtant  for  the  economy  of 
the  grates. 

ITaviiig  notliiug  furtlier  to  iidbrui  you  on  tliis  subject,  I 
remain, 

Yours  fait  hi  ully, 

(Signed.)  AUGCSTO   OUELINE, 

Superinten(h'nt  Engineer. 
Cai>t.  A.  .r.  I*KiiA  Leal, 

JNlarine  Superintendent. 

Extract  from  a.  r<'port  made  to  tli(>  English  A(hniralty  l)y 
the  Chiet  Engineer  of  Her  MaJL'Sty's  Steamship  ''JVll('ro[>hon:'' 

;}lst  October,  1874. 

L*ei»<'i't  of  the  (Miief  Engineer  of  IE.  >[.  S.  "  Bellerophon." 

"liellerophon"  rei'CMVcd  .'JOD  tons  Sydney  coal  (Capo 
Breton)  from  (rixdan)  IJeserve  Mine,  belonging  to  the  (-apo 
Breton  Company,  Limited.  Tliis  coal  was  found  to  generate 
steam  ([ulckly  and  maintainiMl  it  well.  When  steanung  easy, 
with  a  large;  amount  of  grat(!  surface,  the  coal  being  lired  on 
the  front  bars,  the  caked  coal  being  pushed  back,  before  again 
firing,  the  smoke  was  found  to  be  moderate,  averaging  from  0 
to  4  in  dens(mess  by  Aihniralty  tabic. 

From  comparison  of  the  diagrams  taken  when  using  the 
Sydney  coal,  and  also  wIkmi  using  a  mixture  ot  2-3  Welsh  and 
1-3  North  Country  received  from  Halifax  dockyard,  the  engines 
working  at  a  similar  s[)(H'd,  and  under  similar  circumstances  of 
wind  and  sea,  th(^  poimds  of  coal  per  horse-power  were  3.73^ 
and  for  Welsh  and  Xorth  Country,  3.70. 

The  Sydney  coal  was  also  tried  mixed  in  equal  proportions 
with  Aberdare  ]\[erthyr,  received  at  (Quebec;  the  smoke  from 
the  nnxture  was  found  to  be  considerable  when  nrging  the 
fires,  but  not  nearly  so  much  as  when  using  the  Sydney  coal 
alone;  and  when  the  fires  were  not  being  forced,  the  smoke 
was  not  more  than  No.  3  Admiralty  table;  under  similar  cir- 
cumstances of  speeds  of  engines,  wind  and  sea,  the  pounds  per 
hoi'se-power  were  tor  the  Sydnijy  coal  4.2,  and  for  the  mixture 
of  Sydney  and  Welsh,  4.3. 

17 


T 


Tlic  per  cciitiigo  oI'msIi  ninl  ('linker  from  the  Sydney  coals 
aloiHi  was  l().1>,  and  I'lom  llic  iiiixtm<*  ofSydiicy  and  Welsh  l.'J. 

Tli(!  Sydney  coal  isalu'tter  steaminii;  eoal  than  ]  had  l>eeii 
led  to  expect,  and  when  steannnL!;  easy  so  that  a  lai<:;e  atnoiint 
ol  liie  .uiate  can  l»e  nsed,  and  cafelnl  liiinu  and  attention  ]>aid 
to  the  smoke  hniiiin,^  slides  in  the  liiinace  doois, as  well  as  the 
slides  at  the  back  ol' the  I'miiaces,  the  dense  hlack  smok(?  which 
often  issties  IVom  the  linniels  when  iisini;-  this  and  other  Colo- 
nial coals  can  be  so  much  reduced  as  io  be  between  0  and  4, 
Admiralty  table,  and  when  mixed  with  Welsh  coal,  iMKlilliculty 
shoidd  be  experienced  in  redncinL!;  the  smoke  to  a  less 
nmomit. 

''  The  steaminsi-  (pialities  (tl  Welsh  and  Sydney  eoal  mixed 
■will  be  Ibiind  as  good  as  Welsh  and  North  Country  ndxed  in 
e(nial  proiKutions." 

(Signed.)  F.  C.  Alton, 

Chief  Engineer  II.  31.  S.  "  Bcdleroidion." 

;Montjikal,  Sei)t.  25,  1S74. 
The  (piality  of  the  coal  is  lik» d  for  steam  and  house  jmr- 
poses,  and  we  would  tak(;  it  in   i>refercnce  to  any  other  Cape 
Breton  Coal  if  i>roi)erly  screened. 

(Signed.)  Loud,  3[agoi{  &  3Iunx. 

3IoNTi{KAL,  Dec.  22,  1S74. 
If  you  ship  the  Emery  (\)al  a  fair  size,  we  believe  a  large 
quantity  of  it  can  be  sold  in  this  market,  as  it  is  undoubtedly  a 
good  steam  coal. 

(Signed.)  Lord,  Magor  &  Munn. 

Prom  J.  Swinburne,  Chief  p]ngiiieer,  S.  S.  "Pouyer  Qiuutier." 

London,  .January  7th,  1880. 
"  The  coal  supidied  by  you  at  Loui.sburg  1  am  glad  to 
say  has  given  great  satisfaction.  AVe  foiuid  it  very  cjuick  to 
raise  steam,  while  the  clinkers  from  it  are  of  no  consecpience 
and  easily  removed  from  the  bars.  The  collection  of  dirt  and 
soot  in  the  combustion  chand)ers  was  not  nearly  so  great  as 
that  from  the  Welsh  coal  we  had  ])reviously  been  using,  inas- 
much as  we  neveroncehad  to  sweep  tubes  on  the  passage  from 
St.  Pierre  to  London,  whereas  before,  this  had  frecpiently  to 
be  done.     1  thiidc  it  equally  as  good  as  English  coal." 

18 


J  li 


lini 
the 
or  II 

the 

Ere 


Incy  coiils 

tVcIsIi  13. 

h'.id  hccii 

0  ailKMMlt 

itioii  ]»Mi(l 
('II  Jis  tlio 
)k<'  wliicli 
lici-  Colo- 

1  0  and  4, 
(lilliciiltv 

>  Ji    loss 

•al  mixed 
iiiixi'd  ill 


[>li()ii." 

,  1S74. 
'Use  1)111'- 
ler  Cape 

lUNN. 

1874. 

'■  a,  large 
btedly  p. 

UNN. 

U'l'tier." 
80. 

gla<l  to 
I  nick  to 
(luence 
lilt  ill  id 
;ieat  as 
g,  iiias- 
;e  from 
iiitly  to 


From  J.  :\r.  r.rcvis,  Ciiirf  Kimiii.'cr  S.  S.  "  licdoiiiii." 

August,  ISSO. 

"Having  used  llic  IvcscrN*^  roals  supplied  l»y  tiic  Cape 
]»i('l(»n  Conipany,  at  Sydney,  on  our  last  voyage,  I  have  I'ound 
tlieiu  good,  no  dillieulty  in  getting  sul1i<'ieiit  steam:  witli  little 
or  no  eliidver,  and  not  destructive  to  l)ars. 

Having  |)ie\iousl\  coaled  at  other  mines,  I  cjiu  vouch  for 
the  licserNc  Mine  ('o;d  as  heiiig  superior  in  eveiy  i>articular.''' 

Fi-om  d,  Ci-awtord,  Ciru-i"  Engineer  S.  S.  ".Minia." 

Halifax,  1st  May,  ISSl. 

Tiiis  is  to  certify  that,  the  Anglo-American  Telegraph 
Company's  cable  repairing  ship  ""Minia"  has  been  coaled 
three  times  iVoin  the  mines  of  the  Sydney  and  iiOuisl>urg  Coal 
Alining  (!i)mpany,  Limited,  and  1  have  found  it  to  be  the  best 
steaming  coal  I  have  used  this  side  of  the  Atlantic,  It  is 
<'lean,  very  free  from  clinker,  and  easy  on  furnace  bars.  1  may 
state  [  have  run  thirty-six  hours  without  eleaning  tires.'' 

I  would  add  that  the  "Allan"  line  of  steamers  have 
taken  from  us  all  tln^  coal  obtained  l)y  them  in  Nova  Scotia 
during  the  past  four  years. 

I  close  this  i)art  of  my  refutation  by  the  following  report, 
dated  tlu;  LM)th  January,  isirj,  from  ]\[r.  Gilpin,  Inspector  of 
JNIines,  Nova  Scotia,  for  transmission  to  my  Comi>any  in 
London,  but  which,  fortunately  tor  the  purposes  of  this  answer, 

had  not  left  mv  possession. 

Halifax,  N.  S.,  .Ian.  LM>,  i8J)2. 
D.  J.  Kennelly,  JOscj. 
♦Svdnev  ^:  Louisburg  Coal  and  IJaihvav  Co.,  Ld. 

Dear  Sir: — I  beg  to  submit  the  following  rei)ort  on 
analysis  of  samples  of  coal  from  the  Emery  and  Reserve 
Colliery  ot  the  Sydney  &  Louisburg  Coal  and  liaihvay  Com- 
pany of  Cai)e  lireton. 

Reserve  seam.  Coal  fairly  comi)act  with  a  bright,  pitchy 
lustre,  and  having  some  bands  of  an  unknown  lustrous  Jet  black. 
The  de})osition  planes  are  fairly  covered  with  mineral  charcoal. 
The  coal  breaks  into  elongated  pieces  having  a  rhomboidal 
shape.  There  are  a  few  films  of  calc  s})ar,  and  a  little  \isible 
pyrites.  Th(;  general  appearance  of  the  coal  is  very  much  in 
its  favor. 

19 


Its  t'(Hiii)(tsiiiun  is  as  lollows: — 

3Iois(m(', 

A'olat.  Coiiibiist.  ^ratter,       - 

I''i\((l  Carbon,     - 

Asli, 


'low  ('okiii,u'. 

Fast  Cokiiin'. 

..'i."* 

..T) 

nL>..sr> 

;r>.iM; 

(;i.!«) 

."iS.SS 

4.SI 

4.S1 

KM  MM) 

1(MM)0 

i.ir. 

l.I.-i 

l.L'-S 

l.'JS 

.s..-)! 


8.00 


Iiijiiiious  Sii]|»liiir, 

Spccilic  (Jravily, 

Tlicorctical    Kvaixuativc,  } 
lN)\\('r,  j 

Asli  iMiIvcrulciit  and  brown  in  color.  Comparing  tliis  an- 
alysis with  one  of  file  i-oal  Ironi  the  same  soain  made  by  nic 
some  years  ago,  it  may  be  icmarked  tliat  tlio  coal  at  present 
AV(»rked  is  improved  in  (luulity,  tliere  being  ii  decrease  in  the 
moisture,  and  a  (lecrease  of  nearly  one  i>er  cent,  in  the  ash. 
The  amount  of  lixed  carbon  also  is  greater,  being  Ol.OJ),  against 
r)!M.'{.  This  increases  the  evai>orative  power  as  calculated  Irom 
L'egnault's  formula  (and  here  for  comparison  with  tlie  British 
Admiralty  Naval  steam  coal  trials)  from  <S.ll)  to  S.;")!  lbs.  of 
water  e\ai)orated  from  212^  F.  for  each  pound  of  coal  burned 
Tlie  percentage  of  injurious  sulphur  is  a  little  less,  the  amount 
being  under  that  usually  found  in  Cape  Breton  coals. 

The  coal  from  the  seam  makes  by  practical  test  an  ex- 
cellent coke.  The  gas  yiehl,  as  observed  during  the  process 
of  coking,  appears  to  be  large  and  of  good  quality.  The  coal 
is  well  adai)ted  Ibr  house  pur^joses  and  froni  its  ready  igniting 
and  (piick  burning  (pialities  makes  a  good  steam  coal. 

Emkhy  8eam.  The  coal  from  this  seam  is  a  little  more 
compact  than  that  of  the  lieserve  Colliery.  It  is  bright  and 
breaks  with  a  cubical  fracture.  The  deposition  planes  held  a, 
good  deal  of  mineral  charcoal.  .A  resv  small  crystals  of  pyrites 
are  observable  on  the  de])osition  planes,  and  a  few  small 
nodules  of  pyrites.  There  is  no  stone  visible  in  the  coal.  The 
coal  does  not  make  as  much  dust  as  that  from  the  Eeserve. 

20 


riM 


<>  ** 
.Oit 

is.ss 

4.81 

l.J.j 
l.'JS 

8.09 

;  tliis  aii- 

t  present 
R  ill  tiic 
the  ash. 
,  against 
ted  from 
3  British 
)l  lbs.  of 
biiriiod 
amount 


:  an  ex- 

proeess 

Hie  coal 

igniting 

le  more 
ght  and 
s  held  a 
'  pyrites 
V  small 
d.  The 
irve. 


'I'lic  comI  g;i\e  <tii  niiMlysis: — 

Slow  ('okii)g. 

Moisture,  -  -  -  .7."i 

\'ol.  Combust,  Matter,  -  'JS.<;s 

Fixed  Cail>oii,  -  -  -       <>(».. 'iS 

Ash,  -  -  -  l.is 


Fast  Coldng. 
.75 

;;().!  r. 

(U.ll 

•i.it> 


1(MM)(>  KMMH) 

Injurious  Sulphur,         -            -           l.'iO  \.'M) 

Sjleeiliedravily,    -             -             -     l.'Jt>  l.'-ii> 

Theoretical   Kviiporalive  I'owe?-,         t>.l*J  8.8S 

Ash  |»ul\erulent  and  brown  in  color. 

I  notice  on  some  siteeimens  a  wash  ol'  clay,  and  i)resum(; 
but  Ibr  this  the  percentage  of  ash  would  h;ive  been  slightly 
lower.  The  percentiige  ot  volatile  combustible  matter  and  ash 
being  less  in  this  coal  than  in  the;  Keserve  coal.  The  Jixed 
carbon  is  larger  in  jiropoition,  giving  a  fuel  th(M)retic;illy  ciip- 
able  of  evai)oratiug  9.12  lbs.  of  water  by  one  i)ound  of  coal. 
The  coal  ai>proaches  in  composition  the  bituminous  giiid(M)f 
the  well-known  Welsh  steam  coids,  and  slu/ald  have  excellent, 
results  in  furnace  Ixdlcrs.  It  should  also  be  a  good  lumsc^  coal 
judging  from  the  manner  in  which  a  small  sample  burned  in  a 
grate.  The  sami)le  forwarded  did  not  appear  to  have  much 
slack;  this  (pialit\  should  make  it  an  economica!  coal  for  stor- 
ing and  for  transportation.         I  remain  yours  truly, 

E.  GILPIN. 


1  have  no  doubt  that  had  the  other  (iolliery  proprie- 
tors of  ('ai»e  IJrcton  been  aware  of  Mr.  Whitman's  untbuiided 
denunciation  of  the  Sydney  coals  (which  in  elfect  are  from  the 
different  seams  now  being  worked  on  the  Island  of  Cai)e 
Breton)  they  could  and  would  as  successfully  have  rebutted 
the  charge  against  X\w.m  as  myself. 

Having  given  Mr.  (Jilpin's  analysis  of  two  of  the  Sydney 
seams,  of  each  of  which  my  Oompany  owns  about  Kl  S(iuare  miles, 
in  addition  to  other  good  workable  seams,  I  r<'turn  to  th(i  mis- 
statement made  by  3Ir.  Whitman  on  page  li'),  where  he  alleges 
that  the  Cumberland  coals  had  a  value  of  25  per  centum  great- 
er  than   that  of  the  Sydney   coals,  and  instead  of  taking  his 

21 


false  fnotor  of  7.11!),  I  u.sc  llic  tnic  oiio  of  <>.12,  tlio  evapoiative 
l)ow('i'  of  tlic  Sydney  "Emory"  eoals,  as  given  by  Mr.  Gilpin. 
Taking  tliat  of  Ciinil)eilan(l  coals  as  0.1)8,  these  two  factors  es- 
tablish the  superiority  of  Cniiiberland  coal  over  Sydney 
"Emery  "to  tiie  amount  of  28  cents  per  long  ton  delivered. 
And  Avlien,  therefoie,  Cumberland  is  selling  delivered  as 
low  as  So.TT,  they  being  the  best  figures  given  by  IMr.AVliit- 
man,  see  liis  loot  note  to  page  1(>,  tlie  relative  value  to  the 
buyer  of  Sydney  "Emeiy  "  is  83.40,  but  as  tlio  piice  at  which 
it  is  delivered  liere  is  So.lO  he  (tlie  buyei)  saves  30  cents  per 
ton  on  the  transaction. 

Consecpiently  the  operator  in  Sydney,  instead  of  putting 
the  coal  at  81.35  f.  o.  b.,  can  do  so  at  $1.74  +  freight 
+  charges  -r  duty  =  $3.40,  the  ecpiivalent  for  Cumberland  at 
$3.77.  I  think  I  have  succeeded  in  making  this  clear  to  the 
understanding  of  the  most  earnest  piotectionist^  and  may  I 
venture  to  hope  even  to  the  understanding  of  Mr.  Odiorne. 

I  would  1k»  glad  to  pass  over  :Sh:  Whitman's  reductio  ad 
absurdum  matter  on  page  20, but  fear  to  do  so  lest  it  might  l)e 
said  that,  being  unanswerable,  1  had  to  leave  it  without 
reply.     He  says : 

"In  1800  the  coal  imiKnts  into  the  United  States  from  Xova 
Scotia  and  Xew  Bhunhwjck  amounted  only  to  3(>.317  tons, 
and  this  was  composed  chietly  of  culm  arul  screenings,  which 
constitute  about  one  sixth  of  the  totaloutput  of  the  inines,  and 
ni)on  which  the  duty  is  only  oO  cents  per  ton,  a  duty  amount- 
ing to  but  little  more  than  the  cost  of  discharging  the  vessel  at 
Boston.    Only  a  part  of  this  (luautity  came  to  New  England." 

As  a  fact,  the  coal  imports  into  the  United  States  from 
Nova  Scotia  in  1800  amounted  to  50,854  tons,  a  portion  of  this 
being  round  coal  which  went  to  New  York.  New  Brunswick 
does  not  exi)ort  coal.     Again  he  says  at  page  20  : 

"Of  the  Nova  Scotia  coals  which  are  available  the  best 
are  mined  at  Pictou,  and  of  these  the  coals  from  the  Acadia 
nunes  are  preferable. 

Cost  free  on  board  at  Pictou,  -  -  $2.50  ner  ton. 

Ereight  to  Boston,         -  -  .  .      l.5o' 

Insurance,  -  -  .  _  ](,rj 


M\ 


Cost  at  wharves  at  Boston  without  dtty,      $4.05 


•)') 


[ipoiative 
r.  Gili»in. 
ictors  OS- 
Sydney 
lelivoied. 
EKED  as 
Ir.AVhit- 
110  to  tlio 
at  whicli 
?oiits  per 

f  putting 
■  fro  i  gilt 
'riaiul  at 
ir  to  tlie 
I  may  I 
)i'no. 
iiotio  ad 
night  1)0 
without 

nn  Xova 
17  tons, 
>,  which 
iios,  and 
unount- 
'ossol  at 
gland." 

OS  from 
)  of  this 
Linswick 

he  best 
Acadiii 

1101'  ton. 


''This  coal  has  a  coniiuorcial  value  of  about  .">(»  to  7.")  eents 
per  ton  loss  than  that  of  Cuniborland  ooal,  which  as  1  have  al- 
ready shown,  was  delivered  at  tiio  wliarvos  in  JJoston  from 
riiiladclphia,  at  an  average  cost  of  $^.52  ])er  ton  in  ISIM).  At 
the  present  time.  Fob.  J 8.  IS!H,  tiie  best  Cunib(  "land  ooal  can 
be  laid  down  at  wharves  in  Boston  at  the  same  price;  namely, 
$3.52  per  ton. 

"The  next  best  grade  of  Pictou  coal  is  procured  from  the 
Albion  or  old  Pictou  mines. 
It  costs  free  on  board  at  I'ictou, 
Freight  to  Boston,  _  -  - 

Insurance,         -  -  -  - 


82.25  per  ton. 
1.50 
.05 


rp 


Total  cost  at  wharves  in  lioston  without  di;tv,    $:>.80 

"The  conuncrcial  value  of  this  coal  in  Boston  is  75  cents 
per  ton  less  than  tliat  ot  Cuniborland  coal,  and  yet  the  Cum- 
berland coal  can  bo  landed  at  27  cents  per  ton  eheapor." 

iloro  .Mr.  Whitman  dis[)lays  his  absurdity.  The  (luestion 
of  the  supposed  superiority  of  the  IMctou  coals  has  already  been 
dealt  with.  The  Acadia  coal  is,  without  (piostion,  tlu'  best  of 
the  Pictou.  field,  and,  com})arativoly,  but  little  of  it  remains 
un\Vork('d. 

The  local  market  takes  a  largo  quantity  of  the  Pictou 
coaN.  The  total  sales  for  18!)1  were  4oO,5(M)  tons,  of  which 
277.75.')  tons  wore  absorbed  locally. 

3Ir.  Whitman  ({uotos  the  local  prices  for  Acadia  and 
Albion  coals,  and  would  have  his  reaVlers  believe  that  those 
$2.50  and  $2.25  are  the  going  f.  o.  b.  prices  for  say  ^[ontreal  or 
places  elsewhere  outside  of  the  Ijcal  market.  He  tlion  pro- 
ceeds to  show  how  those  coals,  adnuttedly  inferior  to  the  Cum- 
berland, could  not  bo  placed  in  Boston,  wftitout  uuty, 
oxcepr  at  a  i»rioe  in  excess  of  the  better  Cumberland  coal.  Mr* 
Whitman  might  as  fahly  take  the  prices  of  my  bmda'r  coals 
and  use  them  as  my  cargo  f.  o.  1).  |)rices.  This  is  scarcely  honest 
reasoning.     The  results  ai'o  (xot)  imi)artially  presente<l. 

Finally,  as  a  climax,  >[r.  Whitman  on  page  27,  again  and 
for  the  last  time,  (piotes  3[i'.  Odiorno  as  follows  : 

"Mi-.  F.  11.  Odiorno  has  furnished  mo  with  the  cost  of  de- 
livoi'ing  scr«'onod  coal  from  th(;  Acadia,  nunc  tree  on  board  at 
Pictou,  from  1878  to  1884  inclusive.  These  costs  an;  as  follows 
without  fractions: 

23 


]S7S 
LS79 
]880 
1S81 

1882 
188;] 
1884 


$2.(9 
1.52 
1.48 

1.48 

i.ni 

1.44" 


Ian 


AVljjit  tlie  ol>jcct  wns  of  giving  tliosc   costs  from  1878  to 
1884  inclusive,  T  nm  unable  to  understand.     \Vliy  leave  oft"  at 
1884?  and  why  aitpareutly  seek  to   stultity  tlie   statement  at 
page  20,  "  costs  free  on  board  at  IMctou  82.50  ?"     Is  ]Mr.  Wliit- 
man   atteini»tiiig  to   sliow  tliat  in   those  years  tliese  were  the 
costs  f  o.  b.  outside  of  the  local  market  ?     1  have  now  finished 
with  this  i)art  of  my  answer  to]Mr.  AVhitman.      So   far  I  liavo 
eucouiitered  only   two   authoiilies    who   are   put   forward  to 
8U])porthis  statements,  namely,  ]\rr.  F.  11.  Odiorne,  and  a  book 
by  j\[r.  Johnson  containing  uncertain  data  on  coals  worked  out 
50  years  ago.     I  need  not  say  more  about   3Ir.  ()di(>rne  or  the 
book.  1  cannot  trace  that  the  tliird  gentleman,  Mr.  D.3[cBon- 
ald,  did  more  than  is  stated  at  page  11)  as  follows: 

"  D.  iNrcDonald,  Es().,  Collectoi'  of  the  port  of  Pictou,  :N'ova 
Scotia,  wiites  me  tliat  IMctou  Ilarlmr  is  closed  from  earlv  in 
I)ecember  till  the  latter  part  of  April,  say  lour  and  a  half  to 
rive  months  in  the  year." 

Now,  of  the  tburth,  Uv.  E.  Gilpin,  Jr.  I  sliall  be  able  more 
conveniently  to  classily  this  gentleman's  statement  imder  the 
nextstageofmy  answer,  which  has  reference  to  what  I  may 
term  expeet  testimony,  as  given  by  Mi-.  T.  B.  lirown,  ^Ir.  J. 
H.  iJartlett,  Mr.  Kennedy  and  Mr.  Gisboi'ne. 

Writing  of  the  extent  and  capacity  of  the  Nova  Scotia 
coal  mines,  ]\rr.  Whitman  says  at  i)age  20: 

"The  coals  of  Cape  Breton  are  much  inferior  to  those  of 
i  letou.     Ml   1.  B  Brown,  the  eminent  Canadian  authority,  at 
a  imM'ting  of  the  Canadian  Society  of  Civil  Engineers  in  1888 
said  ot  these  coals:  '  ' 

Th 


The  coal  that  came  from  (^a])e  Breton  was  yery  friable, 
nd  tlM.se  who  saw  it  leave  tlu>  collieries  in  large,  round,  hand- 
<)in(>  pieces  aveiaging  tlie  size  of  one's   head,  would  be  sur- 

Jinw    .n'tr"  'f  ^"'ivo  iKTc  as  suiall  as  it  might  be  seen  at  any 
time  on  the  wharves." 


a 

SOI 


2i 


2.(9 
1  ..VJ 
1 .48 

I.4S 

i.ra 

1.44" 

1878  to 
^e  oft" at 
iiKMit  at 
r.  Wliit- 
vcre  the 
ftiiislied 
■  I  liave 
vard  to 

II  book 
ked  out 
3  or  the 
klcBou- 

1,  Kova 
'ally  ill 
half  to 

le  more 
ler  the 
:  I  in.'U' 
31].  J. 

Scotia 

lose  of 
ritv,  at 

1888, 

liable, 
h;iii(l- 
(^  siir- 
[it  any 


Mr.  Keuiiedy  at  the  same  meeting  used  the  follovving 
hiiigiiMgc  : 

"3rr.  Kennedy  eonldeoni.borate  what  3li. Brown  had  said 
in  regard  to  tlie  friability  of  the  eoal.  It  was  not  altogetlier  a 
question  of  handling.  The  eoal  would  arrive  lu'ie  in  large 
lumps,  l»ut  about  a  week  (tr  two  after  landing  on  the  wharf,  the 
himps  would  tall  to  ]»iee<'sof  their  own  aeeor<l.  This  lie  ])re- 
sumed  wasoerasioned  by  the  action  of  the  weather.  It  seemed 
to  him  that  it  would  scarcely  pay  to  handle  such  coal  caii^fully, 
because  it  would  fall  to  pieces  any  way." 

]Mr.  Whitman  continues: 

"The  best  of  the  Capt'  liret  on  coals,  those  from  Sy»liiey, 
cost  the  same  as  the  Albion  coal  from  Pictou ;  namel>,  8'>.8() 
l)er  ton  at  the  wharf  in  Boston.  It  is  not  necessaiy  to  consider 
the  chea}»er  and  inferior  of  the  Cape  Ihvton  ci)als.  It  ^Yould 
be  ditheiilt  to  <lispose  of  them  in  New  England,  lu'cause  in  ad- 
dition lotlie  reasons  ])icvi()usly  stated,  they  contain  so  imich 
suli>hur,  and  are  esi)eeially  liable  to  si)ontane(ms  combustion." 

The  "eminent  Canadian  authority,  3Ir.  T.  B.  lirown,"  it 
is  my  mistbrtune  not  to  know.  1  had  not  even  lieard  of  him 
before,  and  had  he  been  conversant  with  coal,  it  seems  to  me 
I  ought  not  to  be  feo  wholly  ignorant  about  a  person  so  gifted. 
Even  emidoying  his  testimoiiy,it  remains  to  see  to  what  extent 
'Ml.  AVhitman  is  aided  i)y  it. 

Again  JNIr.  Kennedy,  of  whose  identity  I  am  also  wholly 
ignorant,  says:  '' The  coal  would  arrive  in  large  lumi)s  which 
would  fall  to  ])icces  of  their  own  accord."  This  gentleman's 
perceptive  faculties  are  evidently  of  a  high  order,  lie  seemed 
to  liave  watched  the  lumps  of  coal  fall  to  pieces  of  their  own 
accord.  l'>ut  what  did  it  matter,  it  would  scarcely  pay  to 
handle  sueh  coal  carefully,  (he  ought  to  have  said  "delicately") 
because  it  would  fall  to  pieces  anyway.     What  perverse  coal! 

Mr.  Whitman  continues  at  page  20  : 

"It  is  tlM'ivfore  important  to  iiMpiire  into  the  i>ossibility  of 
theprice  of  Xova  Scotia  coal  lu'ing  rediici'd  to  American  con- 
sumers, liist  l)y  diminished  cost  of  i>i<><biction,  and  second,  by 
the  diminished  eost  of  freight.  A  caretul  investigation  leads 
me  to  believe  that  there  is  no  prospect  whatever  for  diminished 
cost  of  production.  Mr.  T.  B.  Brown,  already  referred  to,  at  a 
meeting  (  !' civil  engineers,  stated  as  ibllows: — 

"It  might  not  be  appropriati' at  an  engineers*  meeting  to 
sav  so,  but  he  wouhl  remark   that   there    had   not   l)eeii   that 


25 


siipenibundiinco  ot  ])rofit  in  the  business  to  encourage  or 
en;il>l(;  those  engaged  in  it  to  launch  out  in  the  iniin'ovenients 
that  sueli  a   tijuh*   demanded." 

3[r.  J.II.  Baitlett  made  the  following  statement  at  tlie 
same  meeting:  "The  trade  between  Xovji  Scotia  and  tlic 
Province  of  Quebec  is  growing,  but  even  witli  the  (bity  of  00 
cents  \wv  ton  on  impoited  coal,  tlieic^  is  a  very  small  margin 
in  the  ^Montreal  market  b(;tween  the  prices  of  American 
bituminous  coal  and  that  trom  Xova  Scotia." 

The  '•Ennnent  xVuthority  "  appears  to  have  spcdvcn  with 
some  compunction  and,  be  it  remarked,  all  this  is  but  pui'c  sur- 
mise on  th('  part  of  these  gentlemen,  for  the}'  do  not  i>roduce  a 
single  proof  to   sui)i)ort  their  statements. 

'Sir.  Whitman  alfoids  us  no  information  as  to  the  nature 
or  object  of  the  meeting  at  which  they  were  said  to  have  been 
pn'sent;  he  docs  not  even  give  the  name  of  the  paper  read  and 
discussed.  His  readers  arc  left  to  gather  that  it  was  a  meeting 
of  the  (-anadian  society  of  civil  engineers. 

Now,  had  theses  gentlemen  been  nnning  engineers  or  men 
conversant  with  coal  in  one  or  more  branches  of  that  industry 
their  statemeids  would  naturally  connnand  a  certain  amount  of 
attention  and  possibly  respect.  But,  for  the  purpose  of  decry- 
ing the  coal  of  >sova  Sc(ttia,  this  })ossible  hole  and  (!orner 
conversation  of  theirs  is  imported  into  a  pamphlet,  printed  with, 
an  evident  pur[)ose,  and  these  gentlemen,  whoeverthey  may  be 
are  made,  perhai)s,  the  unwilling  tools  for  working  out  the  si>e- 
cilic  object  of  the  writer.  Did  ^[r.  Whitnuin  make  them 
aware  that  their  irresponsible  utterances  were  to  be  used  for 
the  [jurpose  of  discrediting  one  of  the  chief  natural  products  of 
their  own  country  ?  or,  as  is  most  probable,  are  they  to-(hiy 
ignorai»t  of  the  i>eculiar  position  they  occupy  in  his  paniidilet? 
It  is  trusted  for  their  own  sakes  that  they  are  not  aware  of 
the  position  in  which  they  are  thus  placiMl. 

Mr.  Gisborne  at  the  same  meeting,  is  (pioted  as  having 
stated : 

"The  colonial  coal  fields  were  eagerly  fought  for,  and 
unstintedly  provided  with  powerful  machinery  and  transport 
facilities.  Within  a  brief  period,  however,  the  British  coal 
fields  were  ]>roved  to  have  two  or  three  centuries  of  nuneral 
supply  in   reserve,   and   the  bright  outlook  for  Nova  Scotia 


lUUl 

cami 

ton 

pen 

of 

TImi 

audi 

to 


20 


'M 


niiiK's  WMs  rclcuntcd  to  the  tutiire.  V;\\)v  Breton  rojil  be- 
came Ji  (lin,u"  oil  the  iiiMiket,  even  at  less  than  81. 4()  Hel- 
ton at  the  mines.  His  eompany  eollai>s<'(l  after  tiie  ex- 
jienditiuc  of  over  .$2,()(M»,()(M),  havinu  made  no  i)rolit  our 
of  which  they  eonld  pay  inteicst  n]>on  tlieir  hoiuh-d  delit. 
The  itropeity  ])assed  out  (»f  the  hands  of  the  sliare-hoUh-rs, 
and  thus  lie  had  ahandoned  mining  ventures  and  returneil 
to  his  first  love,  eleetiieal  science.''' 

Of  ]\rr.  (Jisborne's  identity  I  cannot,  as  in  the  other  eases, 
claim  to  be  ignoiant.  Indee«l  I  have  known  him  but  too  well. 
And  before  proceeding  further  I  desire  to  say  that  the  lime 
must  shortly  come  when  ^Ir.  (Jisborne's  services  as  an  electri- 
cal engineer,  as  an  e\i>lorcr  in  Newfoundland,  and  for  his  work 
in  the  inception  of  the  fnst  Atlantic  submarine  cable,  shall  re- 
ceive their  due  meed  of  rewar<l.  Having  sa'd  this  I  must  also 
state  that  unfortunate  was  the  day  tor  myself  and  my  Irieiids 
and  foi' our  ]n)ckets,  when  ]\[r.  Uisborne  ''left  histirst  love,  elec- 
trical science,"  to  enter  the  i>ra('tical  domain  of  coal  in  llie  Is- 
land of  Ca])e  liret(>n.  The  statement  that  the  couipany  <'ol- 
lapsed  after  the  expenditure  of  ov«'r  $'J,0()0,()()()  is  slight- 
ly erroneous.  The  collajtse  was  for  S.'>,  1 -•"">, ^^<><> — b>  which 
has  to  b<.'  added,  after  Mr.  (Jisborne's  collajtse  as  I'ailway  con- 
tractor for  th(^  company,  a  further  sum  of  .87.">,.S.">(). 

I  Joined  that  ill-fated  coTiipaiiy  early  in  ls74  as  its  mana- 
ging director,  and  shortly  afler  was  deputed  to  Sydney  to 
rei)ort  on  the  iH'o[)erty.  1  saw  sutticient  nial-administiation 
on  the  i)art  of  Mr.  Gisborne  to  compel  his  resignation.  lie 
was  at  the  timii  chief  manager  and  engineer  of  the  coiupany, 
and  also  contractor  for  the  building  of  the  compan\'s  railroad 
to  Louisburg. 

1  give  one  amusing  instance  of  the  work  of  the  electrical 
scientist  turned  into  the  Alining  ]Manag(M'.  Having  caus«i  to 
know  that  Mv.  Gisborne  had  been  [)Uinping  one  of  our  three 
collieries  (the  S<^liooner  Pond)  for  eleven  months  with  varying 
success,  but  never  to  get  the  workings  clear  of  water,  I  de- 
termined to  inspect  the  pit,  and  accom[)anied  by  ]Mr.  Gis- 
borne and  a.  few  of  the  leading  employeesj  w«Mit  to  the' deep 
until  our  progress  was  stojrped  by  the  water.  Reply ing  to 
(pieries  of  mine,  Mr.  ^Jisborne  stated  that  afterall  the  i)umping 
for  eh'ven  months  they  IkuI  been  unable  to  discover  the  place 

27 


n 


mmi^ 


of  inflow.  I  asked  ii  lie  liiid  ''TAStki)"  his  way  along  the  wjiter 
course?  He  did  not  ai)i)ear  to  apinviuMid,  so  I  went  to  work, 
lie  and  the  others  foliowini--,  I  tastin,ii  the  water  .is  I  went, 
About  halt' wiiy  up  I  found  the  water  ehan<,'e,  Jind  I  ask(Ml  the 
men  to  search  round  for  the  intlow.  We  had  not  gone  very  far 
Mhen  the  water  was  diseovei'ed  tlcnving  through  a  break  in  the 
surface,  over  which,  above  ground,  ;i  strciini  was  flowing,  and 
into  this  stream  the  water  for  eleven  months  had  been  juimped 
from  the  pit  oidy  to  circus  back  again  into  the  workings.  1  at 
once  closed  up  the;  mine,  which  I  would  have  donc^  in  any  case, 
for  I  found  that  in  addition  to  the  expense  of  pumping,  there 
was  being  paid  a  heavy  tax  for  way  leave  through  the  ad- 
joining "Ontario"  colliery,  which  gave  us  a  dead  loss  on 
uiining.     The  coal  was  excellent. 

rnfortunately  1  could  not  dejirive  ]Mr.  Gisbornc  of  his 
contract  to  build  the  road  to  Louisburg,  the  failure  in  ac- 
complishment of  which  work  by  him  practically  led  to  the  col- 
lapse of  th(!  company,  eventually  reconstructed  into  the  ex- 
isting Sydney  &  Louisburg  Coal  and  Kailway  Co.,  Ltd.  After 
some  litigation  carried  to  a  successful  issue  against  3[r.  Gis- 
bornc, he  returned  as  he  says,  to  his  first  love,  lie  is  not  cor- 
rect in  stating  that  this  jtroperty  passed  out  of  the  hands  of 
the  stockholders,  for  a  few  of  us  yet  remain.  I  may  add  while 
on  the  subject  that  the  company  managed  by  Mr.  (irisborne 
(the  ('ape  liretcMi  Co.)  was  formed  by  the  amalgamation  of 
three  Knglish  coal  com])anies,  and,  I  may  say,  more  or  less  ex- 
travagantly managed  from  England,  but  with  Mr.  Gisbornc 
came  the  climax  ;  for  his  capacity  for  spending  money  reckless- 
ly, because  ignorant  of  coal  mining,  was  great.  Xo  sound  in- 
dustrial concern,  however  well  backed,  can  long  stand  the  strain 
of  continued  incompetent  management. 

Messrs.  lirown  and  Keimedy  are  careful  to  point  out  what 
they  consider  a  serious  defect  in  Nova  Scotia,  coal,  namely,  its 
softness  and  friability.  "  The  coal  would  arrive  in  large  lumps 
and  fall  to  pieces."  Tlu^se  gentlemen  were  evid(intly  ignorant 
of  the  fact  that  the  friability  and  falling  to  i)i(»ces  of  which  they 
complain  is  due  to  the  absence  of  foreign  matter,  which  forms 
the  cementing  element  in  bituminous  coals,  and  where  present 
is  found  ABLXDANTr.Y  iu  the  ash  pit  of  the  furnace  as  ashes. 

28 


T^ 

col 
snl 


T^ 

u 


The  fri.'ibility  is  diic  to  the  imrity  oi'llie  carbon  ooiiiposino'  the 
coil],  and  tlie  absence  ol'  Ibiciiin  liiatter  is  exliibitrd  by  llie 
snuill  (lunntity  of  ashes. 

But  let  lis  examine  tliis  (nicslion  inaelically.  I  do  so 
in  the  manner  in  \\]\'w]i  I  liavc  jtut  \t  b>  nianiiliictui'ers  usin<j; 
steam,  and  who  liad  liabitually  uivcn  nie  lai\iie  orders  ibi  ronnd, 
1.  e.,  screened  coal.  I  have  said,  "  Why  do  you  ordei  scirened 
coal  for  your  fuiuaces,  and  jtay  nie  1.")  or  2()  cents  ])cr 
ton  nu)re  than  for  luiscreeiicd  coal  tVom  tlie  i>it  which,  ibr  your 
purposes,  are  more  economical  than  llie  dearer  round  coal?" 
The  mjinnfacturers  usual  rei>]y  is;  "Why,  w(i  like  lunii>y  coal !'' 
"Well,  yes,"  I  rei)ly,  "  Linn]>y  coal  looks  well  in  a  domestic! 
grate,  but  why  pay  for  this  luxury  under  your  steam  l)oiler  ?" 
I  then  proceed  to  put  in  my  econonue  education  as  follows  : 

Watch  a  larjie  lump  of  coal  when  thrown  into  your  liu- 
nace,  and  what  do  you  see  lia])pen  ?  Vou  will  see  it  triturated 
by  the  fire  upon  which  it  has  been  thrown.  That  trituiation, 
or  breakin,u"  of  the  coal,  usually  is  etfected  by  a  certain  amount 
of  energy  in  lieat  units  exerted,  and  theretbre,  lost  to  your 
boilers  for  obtaining  steam.  The  measure  of  that  loss  can  be 
understood  by  the  muscular  energy  emi)loyed  by  the  foicman 
to  break  the  sanu^  lump  of  coal  before  lu^  proceeds  to  fecil  it 
wiien  made  small,  to  the  furnaces.  "Why  then,"  T  say.  "do 
you  buy  the  expensive  round  coal  which  your  Ibremau  has 
to  break,  or  lose  etfectiv(?  lieat  by  comi)elling  y(uu'  furnace 
to  do  it  for  bin),  while  you  can  obtain  aniore  effective  if  not 
so  large  a  coal  at  a  lower  ])rice  ?  The  result  is,  my  orders 
are  for  more  "  run  ottlu^  mine"  coals,  and  less  of  the  screened. 
Messrs.  Brown,  Bartlett,  Kennedy,  and,  1  believe,  ]Mr.  CJis- 
borne,  are  Civil  Engineers.  Do  they  not  know  that  various 
kinds  of  econonue  ai)pliances  are  being  made  for  breaking  coal 
to  feed  it  small  to  furnaces  ? 

I  sincerely  concur  with  ]\rr.  Brown's  remai'k  on  the  in- 
appropriateness  of  discussing  the  i)rolits  of  a  business  (coal) 
with  which  he  or  liis  friends  are  not  shown  to  have  hiul  any 
special  means  of  obtaining  facts. 

I  have  now  to  see  how  far  Mr.  AVhitmans  statements  are 
borne  out  by  Mv.  Gilpin's  connnunications  to  him.  1  give  the 
following  from  page  IS  : 

29 


"Tli(!  production  of  1  lie  Nova  Scotiii  cojil  iiiincs  in  1889  was 
],7.")(;,'J7!)  tons.  Ot'tliis  Ihcre  was  sold  l,r)5r),107  tons.  Tli« 
ditrciciK'c  was  consumed  oi"  sold  at  the  mines.  E.  Gilpin,  Jr., 
Escj.,  Ins])ector  of  Xovji  Scotiii  mines,  wiit<'s  me  that  in  18J)o 
there  was  an  increase  in  the  output  over  18SI)  of  about  2r)(),()0() 
tons,  niakin.i;- the  total  amount  of  coal  raised  in  181M)  about 
2,('(MMM)()  tons.  About  one  sixth  of  tli(^  entire  coal  juoducit  is 
<les(i'ibed  as  slack,  Avhicii  I  believe  to  b(>  what  we  call  culm  of 
coiU ;  that  is,  the  sci'ceninus  that  cannot  geneially  be  worked 
to  a(lvanta«;e  exce])t  by  admixture  with  other  coal.  Mv.  Gilpin 
also  writes  me  that  in  ]S<H  "theouti)Ut  of  Nova  Scotia  (;oal 
could  be  im-reased  .">(►  jicr  centum  over  that  of  181M),  and  that  in 
the  followin,ii  year,  18<>'J,  the  output  could  be  raised  to  double 
he  present  amount ;  and  the  pits  at  i)resent  open,  if  worked 
to  nu'cfc  tlu!  full  demand,  could  at  the  end  of  two  years  be  pre- 
l»ared  for  an  anmial  out[)Ut  of  between  three  and  four  millions 
of  tons." 

In  the  same  letter  ]Mr.  Gilpin  writes  me  as  follows:  "Our 
coal  lields  can  be  develope<l  to  meet  any  demand  that  can 
be  made  ui)on  them  from  those  districts  in  the;  United  States 
which  commercially  or  geooraphically  are  likely  to  want  our 
(oal,  and  1  think  thisdeveloi)ment  can  be  ett'ected  with  rapidity 
as  regards  operations  undei'  ground,  and  shipping  and  trans- 
jxirt  facilities  a))ove  ground." 

And  yet  he  states  at  page  20,  his  fifth  proposition,  as 
follows : 

EiFTir,  "That  the  productive  capacity  of  Nova  Scotia  coal 
mines  is  linuted.  Under  the  most  favorable  circumstances, 
their  annual  outi)ut  at  the  end  ot  two  years  could  not  be  more 
than  doubled.  Any  possible  increase  in  output,  with  steadily 
increasing  domestic  consumi)tion,  cannot  be  large  enough  to 
atfect  the  price  of  coal  in  the  United  States." 

And  he  seeks  to  bolster  the  latter  i)art  of  the  proposition 
by  telling  his  readers  of  the  accident  at  the  Spring  Hill  Mines, 
Nova  Scotia,  on  February  21,  1891. 

Let  us  examine.  There  are  to-day  21  coal  pits,  including 
slopes  at  work  in  Nova  Scotia.  Of  thc'se  11  are  on  the  Island 
of  Cape  IJreton,  G  in  Pictou  Co.  and  4  in  Cumberland  Co. 

In  Cape  Breton  four  collieries  will  be  w^orked  this  year  by 
coal  cutting  machines.  I  have  a  plant  of  IngersoU  cutters 
worked  by  comprc.'ssed  air  at  work  now.  Two  other  IngersoU 
plants  are  being  prepared  for  inunediate  operation  in  collieries 

30 


MtuatcMl  Hos.  t.n.H..  Ai.l  iLHourth  isMt  work  witi,  an  eU-.tri. 
cutting  Mvvy  uuu-hhw.  I  .ni.l.rsta.ul  .nad.ines  are  being  also 
introducMl  at  ot]„.r  <.ol|i,.,irs  in  Xova  Scoiia.  Th.sc,  Tn.n 
Cutting  3lM(.l,i„(,s  can  an.l  will,  uith.mt  gnnnbling,  work  n.n- 
staiitly  night  and  day,  if  .v(,iii,vd.  Our  Neva  Sn.tia  minm 
are  in  tiie  main,  a  st.'ady,  intelligent  body  of  men  They 
are  mainly  of  Se(,i,.h  .leseenl.  1  have  worked  largely  in  coals  anil 
shah's  m  Seotland,but  I  am  ofoimnon  the  eoal  nnner  ofX(»ya 
fecotia  IS  an  all  anmnd  better  miner  than  the  Lanarksjnre  rela- 
tiye.  J  have  no  hesitation  in  stating,  corroborating  3Ir.  (Jilpin's 
statements,  that  our  eoal  iields  can  be  developed  to  meet  any 
demand  upon  them  from  the  Cnited  States. 

In  regard  to  faeilities  lor  shipment— 1  have  in  the  ])ast 
year,  in  fourteen  hours  shipp.'d  mor<;  than  onee2,l()()  tons  of 
coal  from  (»ne  shute  only.  I  havi^  live  shutes,  and  were  it 
necessary,  and  with  abundant  rolling  stock,  I  could  ship  from 
my  company's  luer,  ^vhich  for  night  work  is  lighted  by  electrie- 
ity,  at  least  V2,m{)  tons  in  twenty-four  hours. 

The  two  collieries  of  the  (leneral  Alining  Assc.ciation,  and 
the  International  Coal  Comi)aiiy,  all  in  Sydney  Harbor,  'have 
also  excellent  facilities  for  shij»})ing  coal. 

Wliat  we  term  the  "  Outport  collieries"  of  Cape  Breton, 
namely  :  The  Caledonia,  Littl<i  (llace  IJay,  Cowrie  and  Ontario,' 
have  their  special  means  of  shipment  at  places  outside  of  the 
Harborof  Sy<hiey. 

Below  I  giv(i  in  tabulated  form  the  shipments  from  tlie 
yarious  collieries  in  Nova.  Scotia  : 

Cai'e  BitKTOX  Co. 
Colliery  ]8«M>  1801  Increase. 

Sydney  &Louisbuig  Coal  & 
Kail  way  Co.     139,777  154,050 


Gowrie,  124,041 

Caledonia,  145,000 

G.  M  Ass'n,  100,500 

Internat'n'l,  i;i;;,000 

L.  G.  Bay,  108,500 

Victoria,  77,.'>07 

Bridgeport,  28,700 
Gardener, 


152,233 

145,00t> 

144,000 

13u,00() 

115,000 

94,000 

30,000 

22,000 


mc. 

u 

dec. 

a 

inc. 

a 

iC 

u 


14,870 
27,502 


10,000 
3,000 
7,500 

17,000 
1,300 

22,000 


31 


ir)4,r>r)(;    \:u\:vMi  dee.     18,100 


(Jl  MIWOULANI)    Co. 

Spiiiig  Hill  ^Eiiu's,  .'177,  ."JT'J     4or»,(;!)S    inc.       2S,I2({ 
.loggiiis  ''  r»;{,40!)     ()(),()()()       "  (ijoDi 

PrcTOU  Co. 
Diiiimiiond, 

Aciuliii,  i 
Albion,  > 
Viile,       S 

h.  DiMnioinl  ;;i>,(H)(>       ;J2,00t)       est.  

.Miiifs  .Mine,  1,000        ;{,000       inc.         2,000 

Salks  by  Counties. 
Cape  liivtoii,         1S!)0  017,0(10 


iM2,(»07    2;{7,(;(r)     " 


ii 


"  1S!H 

Increase; 
Cuinherhiiul,  ISIM) 

"  1S!H. 

Increase   LSDl 
rietoii,  ISJIl) 

1891 


(( 


082,O(M> 
(m,00()  tons 
4;}8,r)IM) 

4(M,(;i>;j 

27,01)1 

4;5o,r)()o 

400,0()() 


5,005 


Decrease  '1)1        -        -      21,,50() 
Grand  Total  Xova  Scotia  Colliekies. 

181)0     1,7<S(),()00 
1801      1,85(),(}02 


70,582 


Total  increase 

While  the  statement  of  Mr.  D.  McDonalil  may  be  correct 
that  Pictou  Harbor  is  c1os(hI  from  early  in  December  till  the 
latter  part  of  April,  it  would  be  wrono-  to  infer  from  this  that 
Sydney  is  closed  for  so  long  a  period— for  it  is  usual  to  ship 
coals  from  that  harbor  to  the  end  of  December  or  middle  of 
January,  and  to  resume  shipment  again  about  the  middle  of 
April.  Sydney  Harbor  remained  free  from  ice  this  year  until 
the  last  day  of  January,  but  this  is  an  unusual  occurrence. 

Mi'.  Whitman  says  at  page  21 : 

"The  best  of  the  Cape  Breton  coals,   those  from  Sydney 
cost  the  same  as  the  Albion  coal  from  Pictou;   namely'^  $3  80 
per  ton  at  the  wharf  in  Boston.     It  is  not  necessary  to  consider 
the  cheaper  and  mferior  of  the  Cape  Breton  coals^     It  would 

32   " 


ho  (lllliciilt  lodisiM.sc  ,»rtl„.|ii  ill  Nrw  l':ii.uI;iiHl,l.«'r;ins('iiiJi(l<li- 
tioii  to  iIh>  iviisoiis  |H<'\i(iiisI.\  staled,  they  (•(.lltilill  so  liillcll 
sulpliiii',  ami  air  csiKM-ially  li.iUlc  to   s|>oiitaii<'(»iis  coiiibiistioii." 

Tlic  stitiiiia  lie  tliii>  rast>  on  tlicCapc  llivtoii  coals  not 
f';lii|>|M'(l  ill  Sydiicy  llarUor,  soiiir  oj' wliidi,  as  a  mat  tcr  ol"  coii- 
vciiiciiro.  ate  shipped  oiitsi.lc  of  Sydney,  and  are  of  the  same 
scainsas  those  (»l"eollieries  sliiiipinu' in  Sy(hiey  llMfhor,  is  one 
(►fthc  iiiosf  HTossly  niiiii>l  eril  i.jsnis  eoiilaiiied  in  Ids  pamph- 
let, lie  s\vee|»il|niy  delioliiiees  the  e<  la  U  of  \  aliiahh'  Working 
coljiciies,  and  has  not  tiic  eoiiininii  deeeiies  to  ad(h('s>  a  sinnh^ 
iiict  in  support  of  liis  dieiuiii.  This  is  not  ai'.iiiimeiit,  it  i>  ont- 
ra,ui' and  of  a  LiTosseharacler.  liiil  here  is  t  he  aiiswei'.  So  far 
back  as  ISIIO,  the  Director  o|  Naval  Coiistriictioii  at  Ihest  re- 
l)oitcd  to  the  i'^reiich  Minister  (.f  Marine  :  ••Thatlhe  steam 
]M>\ver  (»f  the  Sydney  coalis  little  ird'erior  to  that  of  Cardiri', 
M'liilc  with  resp<'ct  to  the  aiiioiiiil  of  sulphiw  1  liiid  thai,  alter 
dediictinu' the  harmless  siilphiii-  in  the  Milphate  of  lime  of  the 
iisii,  there  remains  hut  l.L'l  |>er  cent,  or  less  than  tlic  avera^'e 
ill  .')7  Welsh  and  'JS  Lancashire  coals,  which  is  J.l'Jin  hoth 
cases,  and  Strom  Scotland  which  is  1. 4.").  So  that  this  coal 
Avill  coinpare  lavorahl>  in  this  respect  with  those  from  abroad, 
some  of  which  are  liiulil)  esteemed  lor  steam  purposes,"  it 
Nvill  he  notedthaf  the  anaUsis  -iiNcn  1)\  Mr.  ( lilifm  at  mv  iiau'cs 
20  and  21  are  l.lo  and  l.;;(i  ]»erceiit. 

Dr.  Harrison  I'emaiks  in  l;i\(>i  of  oiir  Si(hic\"  coals: 

"  it  is  now  clearly  deiiioii>i  rated,  in  practice,  that  the  siil- 
l»lnir  of  this  (IJescr\(').  and  most  other  ( 'ape  iJreton  coals  dis- 
j)l)pears  haiiiilessly  in  the  >ulpliate  of  lime  of  theasli.  and  hence 
the  ji'ood  character  t!ii>  ('ompaii\\s  coal  ohtains  for  its  clean 
Miul  economic  action  for  >ti'am  as  well  as  <j;as  pinposes."  lla\- 
iiiii;,  1  belicNc,  satist'actorily  disjtosed  of  this  jiait  of  ^Nlr^ 
AVliitmairs  ''results  impaitially  i»resented,"  J  «pioie  from  liis 
page  27 : 

"The  diiricidties  iiicidenl  to  working  thesemines,  wliicliare 
far  below  tile  level  of  the  sea.  and  many  ol"  whi(di  mines  in 
Cape  Breton  are  really  under  the  sea,  render  it  piactically 
impossible  to  mak(^  any  mateiial  reduction  in  the  cost  of  iniii- 
ing  Xova  Scotia  coals." 

33 


Ilcic  is  ;iii(»tln'r  iiiisicpicsciitiitidii  of  lact  mudc  l>y  ^[r. 
Wliitiiiwii. 

Of  (lie  tell  Wdikiiiu  coHicrics  of  (';i|m'  Uirtoii,  tliM(  of  tin; 
"  ( Jciicriil  Miiiiiiii'  Associjilioii,"  <*oiiiiii(nil,v  Uintwii  ;is  tlx^ 
'•  i  )U\  Sydiic)  Mines,"  :iimI  to  a  ('citaiii  «'\t«'iil,  the  "  Low  Point 
IJairasois,"  coiiiMioiily  known  as  the  "  N'icloiia  "  colliery,  woik 
l»elow  the  sea.  While  of  the  leniaininii  eiiiht  eollieiies,  one, 
the  l»ri(lu('|Mtil.  is  workin.u'  with  "(h'eps"  aho\e  sea  level,  and 
('oiise(|iienl  l>  is  nnwatered  Ity  ,ura\itutioii,  while  anot  her  colliery 
to  llie  *' I  ise  "  (»t' the  IJrIdiJiepoit  is  cai)ai>le.  to  a  lar^e  extent, 
ol  hiinu  nnwatered  in  the  same  way.  The  reniaiinn^  collieries 
are  wdikinii  in  land  measures,  and  are  heinn'  l»iim|»ed  in  the  nsnal 
way.  and  wiihoiit  dillicnlty,  lor  the  watei'  in  this  district  is  not 
in  yrcat  V(»Iunie. 

At  pa.ue  L'.s  .Ml.  Whitman,  says: 

''The  >t;,teiiieiits  already  made  in  icuard  to  the  locaticm  (d 
the  mines  are  sidlicient  to  show  that  it  will  l»e  imjiossihle  to 
secure  any  material  reduction  in  the  cost  of  Ireinht.  In  other 
Words,  any  reasons  that  can  he  ad\anced  lor  pro^ncsticatinu' 
cheauer  Ireiuhts  het  ween  No\a  Scotia  and  Boston  will  apply 
with  cipial  loive  to  I'rciuhts  lietween   JMdladelphia  and  J»oston. 

''An  indisputahle  evidence,  it  s/eiiis  tome,  that  no  material 
reduction  in  the  cost  ol' unidiiii'  Nova  Scotia,  coals  is  jjossihle, 
is  that  in  the  yeai'  IS'.K),  the  United  States  exi)orted  to  the 
West  Indies,  including  Cuba  and  Porto  KMco,  ;5()S,S2;i  tons  of 
bituminous  coal,  while  the  exjxtrts  to  th(!  West  Indies  in  ISSl) 
from  Nova  Scotia  were  but  l\,i)s:}  tons.  The  West  Indian 
markets  are  as  open  to  Nova  Scotia  as  they  are  to  the  United 
vStates;  and  if  it  were  possible  foi' Xova  Scotia  to  compete  witli 
tlie  Tinted  States  upon  ('(lual  terms  in  the  West  Indies,  there 


certainly  would  be  no  such  dis}M'oportion  between  their  rela- 
ti\('  exports  of  bituminous  coal  as  now  exists.  The  exports 
of  Ititumiiious  coal  IVomthe  I'liited  States  to  the  West  Indies 
were  in  IS'.M)  more  than  three-lifths  laru'c'r  than  the  exports  of 
!Nova  Scotia  to  the  I'liited  States  at  their  maximum  period  in 
18(55.  It  would  certainly  b(^  as  easy  for  Xova  Scotia  to  secure 
the  West  India  trade  aiiainst  the  riiited  States  as  it  would  be 
lo  secure  Xew  England  trade  under  the  same  conditions." 

This  is  grim  reasoning.  The  United  States  coal  poits  of 
Xortolk  and  Newport  News  are  1,210  miles,  und  Baltimore 
1,4(K)  miles  nearer  to  the  markets  of  the  West  Indies  than  are 


h 

s 


k 


34 


llic  ports  (.r  l'ict(. II  ;iii(l  S\«|ii(V.  Thr  liiitcd  SiMics  sliipprrs 
liavc  tlic  I'liillici' ;i<l\;iiiiiiov,  in  i,„,st  (m.so,  (if  liviulitiii;;,  1>>  ;i 
vessel  Willi  ;i  ictiiriicd  t'li  i^lii  scciiicd  to  ;i  poii  ,A'  the  I'liiti'd 
States,  nil  nd\;ilit;im'  thiil  V(  rv  seldom  aeerile>  to  tllesliipiMTol 
VOi\\  tVoiii  No\:i  Sc(»ti;i,  ;iiid  \e|,\vitll  tliese  liuMs  Indole  hiin, 
Mr.  \\  irniiKiii  has  the  haidilioiMi  to  place  reasoiiiiiu'  ol'lliis 
kind  heroic  Ids  readers.  Ii  now  remains  Idr  me  to  refer  to  Mi. 
Wiiit man's  summary  set  out  on  his  pag<'s  :i\),  IW)  and  .'il, 
wliieli  I  j;i\e  heiv  in  lull. 

"Fiws'i',  'I'liat  N<'w  Mnulaiid  is  now  .-npplied  with  eoal  from 
mines  in  the  Tnited  States,  which  have  forced  all  other  coni- 
]>etitors  IVoiii  her  markets,  and  can  hold  tlu;  lield  willioiil  the 
aid  of  a  diit,\ . 

"SKcoNh,  That  NTew  I'Jiuland  now  pfociires  licrc(»al  supply 
more  cheaply  than  she  coiild  procure  it  Iroiii  Nova  Scotia  witli 
the  duty  leiiioNcd. 

•''I'llti;i».  That  the  condition  of  things  desci  ihed  in  the  alto  v(3 
two  propositions  is  due  to  the  uoiiderfiil  development  oftlio 
(^oal  product  in  the  Ignited  States,  in  consequence  of  which  liu; 
eoal  prodiicf  ot  the  United  States  preponderates  over  that  of 
Nova  Scotia  in  the  pro|H)rti(»ii  ol  70  to  I.  As  ;t  result  ol  this 
the  juices  of  coal  in  New  JMiulaiid  are  now  cstalilished  and  will 
eontimie  to  he  established  by  competiiiu'  American  mines  inde- 
pendently of  the  eost  of  foreiiiii  eoal. 

'^  roiuril,  That  the  reiiio\al  of  the  diit\  upon  foreiun  coal 
would  not  cause  a  New  lOiiuiaiid  demand  foi'  No\a  Scotia  coal, 
because  she  could  still  jtrocuiv  hei-  supply  from  mines  in  the 
United  States  at  a  less  cost  than  from  Nova  Seotia. 

"FiKTii,  That  the  iMiODicTivi:  cAi'AciTV oi'  Nova  Scotia 
COAL  -MINlls  IS  MMITKK,  ( 'udci'  t lie  iiiost  fav(uable  circuiii- 
staiKN's,  their  annual  output  al  t lie  end  (d' two  years  could  not 
l)e  more  than  doubled.  Anv  possible  increase  in  oiitpul,  with 
steadily  iiicreasinu'  domestic  coiisiiiii|»tioii,  cannot  be  larges 
eiioiiuii  to  affect  the  piice  olCoal  in  the    riiitcd  Stales. 

"Sixth,  Tli;it  the  prociirinu' ot  any  material  proportion  of 
Xew  lunula  lid's  ct>al  supply  from  Nova  Scotia-  with  the  duty 
removed  iiiNolves  a  laruv  reduction  in  the  present  |»rice  of  Nova 
Seotia  eoal,  AND  srcii   i;i;t»r(iiov  is  sot  I'ossii'.i.i:. 

"Sevkntii,  That  even  if  it  were  possible  for  Xova  Scotia 
mines  to  maivc  the  reducti<tii  in  price  necessary  to  meet  the 
eoinpetition  of  I'liited  States  mines  in  the  New  Enuiand  mar- 
ket, it  would  not  be  done,  because  it  would  invctlve  an  ctpuva- 


l(Mit  I'cMlnctioii  oil  tlu'  vciN  iiiucli  liir.uci'mumtityot'c'OJil  icMiiiiic'd 
for  (loiiicstic  (•oiisuinptioii  in  Caiiiidii. 

"  MiciiTii,  Tlint  coiil  lV(Mglitsti'oiii  AiiicricMii  i)oits  to  Boston 
arc  lower  tliaii  tVoiii  Nova  Scotia  [nnia,  and  tliat  there  is  more 
probability  of  reihietioii  in  Ireiuhts  from  these  i)orts  than  from 
Nova  Scotia,  becansc  return  car<;'oes  can  be  generally  secured 
and  tlie  season  is  all  llie  year  round. 

"  Ninth,  That  rates  of  insurance  from  American  jxtrts  arc 
and  must  continue  to  be  less  tlian  from  Xova  Scotia  jtorts, 
and  IX  A  cLosi:  iMAKKirr  wotm)  always  tuux  the  scale 

IN     I'A\Oi;    (»F    A.MKKICAN    COAL. 

''Tenth,  That  interior  New  I'jigland  ]>oiiits  liave  the  ad- 
vantaii'c  of  lail  comiietition  in  the  coals  of  the  Ignited  States, 
Avliich  is  conslaiitly  becoininn  closer,  AND  WHICH  does  not 
E\ist  ON  Xo\  A  S(()t:a  coals, 

"  I'iLKVENTii,  That  in  the  relati\-e  value  of  th(^  coals  for 
nianufacturiiig  purposes,  the  advantage  is  so  greatl_\'  in  fa\'or 
ot  our  coals  that  Nova  Scotia  coals  could  not  compete  with 
theui,  even  if  the  latter  could  he.  landed  at  IJoston  at  a  less 
price  than  American  coals. 

'' Twkli'TII,  That  the  cost  of  coal  in  Xew  I'aiglaml,  even  if 
it  could  be  reduced,  by  reason  of  free  coal,  w.>ul(l  be  accompa- 
nied by  a  corresiH)ndinu  leductioii  in  the  price  of  coal  in  othci' 
localities,  so  that  the  relative  dilferciice  in  the  cost  of  manu- 
facturing, 1)y  reason  of  the  cost  of  coal,  between  New  I'^ngiand 
aixl  other  sections  of  the  country  would  remain  the  same  as 
now, 

'"'I'liiitTLEN'i'H.  That  the  eflect  of  reciprocity  in  coal,  t<'sted 
by  ten  yeai^'  eNpeiieiic<'.  was  simply  to  add  the  amount  of  the 
duty  to  I  he  cost  ol'No\a  Scotia  coal,  both  in  Xew  England  and 
jn  tile  Donuiiioii. 

"  ForiiTi'.KNTiL  That  the  control  ol  the  West  India  market 
by  the  I'liited  States  coals,  where  they  compete  on  e(|ual  terms 
with  No\a  Scotia  coals,  epitoudzes  the  whole  ([Uestion-  The 
conditions  which  would  exist  in  New  l-higland  with  free  coal, 
j)iactically  exist  in  the  \\'est  Indies  now;  and  under  these  con- 
ditions (tur  coals  have  driven  the  Nova  Scotia  coals  out  of  that 
market.  The  same  conditions  ivxistcd  in  the  United  Slates 
duiing  the  se\en  y(>ars  in  which  all  coals  used  in  our  ocean  and 
coastwise  steam  navigation  wi're  i»ractically  free,  and  there  was 
httle  or  no  use  of  Xova  Scotia  coals  for  that  })nrpose. 

"  FiKTLLNTii,  Finally,  the  X^)va  Scotia  miners  do  not  want 
reciprocity  in  coal,  as  is  shown  by   the   results   of  the  recent 

3*i 


('('(•tioiis  in  the  iii.niiiinr  pioviiKM's,  The  (":m;i(li;ms  ivcouiiize 
tli<;  IjK't,  wliicli  this  iiivcsiinati(,n  l,;,s  cstahlislicl  at  every 
IHMiit  that  the  N(.va  Scotia  (-(.als  eaiiiiot  eoinpete  with  those  (if 
tlie  I  lilted  Slates  on  e,nial  t.'ims,  either  iiere  or  in  (\iiia(la, 
niKl  that  reeipioeity  in  eoal  woiild  work  meat  injnrv  to  the 
^()v;i  Seotia  mines,  by  depiiN  iiiu-  i|„.,„  ,,f  a  sidliei'ent' niaiket 
tor  their  siipitoit." 

lf;ivin,u-  proved  at  i.au'e  S  tlia(.  even  with  the  exist iii-iduty 
<»n.)  cents  per  t'.ii  a.uaiiist  in.',  I  can,  in  coin|>(t  it  ion  with 
United  Stales  ("nnd.erland  t'oal,  and  othei'  siijuMior  coals  of 
that  class,  put  my  Sydney  coals  at  a  profit  into  IJoston.  I  af- 
firm that  Ml.  Wliitniaifs  hist,  second,  tliird,  fourth,  sixth, 
seveidh,  and  eleventh  ))ropositions  are  dis]»roved. 

I"'iirther.  his  lifth  proposition  is  disjuoved  hy  ^hai  he 
himself  elicits  Irom  ::\Ir.  (Jilpin.  Se."  ^Ii'.  Whitniaifs  pa-r  is, 
quoted  at  my  pa-c  .'{('.where  Mr.  (iil].in  says,  'M  )iir  c,»al  lidds 
<':iii  he  developed  to  meet  any  demand  that  can  he  madr  upon 
them." 

Ill  regard  folds  ninth  propo>ition,  I  have  sIk.wii  at  ]iaue 
'),  that  the  iiisiiraiice  ii])(m  coal  from  Sydney  uoiii.u'  np  the  St. 
ivawrcnce  is  liiit  .01 '"•  cents  pel  ton,  a.sa,uain>t  L' cents  admilied 
hy  .Mr.  Whitman,  See  i)a,ue  l;;.  This  i>  a  very  clear  reliita- 
tioii. 

Ill  regard  lot  .'  eighth  jiropositioii,  I  have  alreadv  shown 
that  under  the  system  of  carr\inu  <'oal  in  my  hired  steamers. 
as  indicated  on  paue  S  my  fifiuhta^v  is  lower  than  that 
shown  by  31r.  Whitman.  lint  1  admit  that  tlu"  ad\anla-r  of 
r<'turn  car.uoes  is  at  present  with  the  (  nited  States,  altlimmh 
witli  recii»iociiy  there  would  |»robably  be  a  chaii-c  in  our  fa\or. 

As  lor  the  tenth  proi»()silion,  1  would  i»oint  out  thai  the 
8i)iiii,uiiill  collieries  of  Xo\a  Sc(.tia,  on  the  lidercoloiiial  llail- 
Avay,  which  railwa.\  is  in  comiection  with  the  svsteiiiof  the 
Tnited  Stales,  are  onl.\  L' 10  miles  b\  rail  from  the  boimdi.rv 
of  the  ^^'W  lvi,«iland  Stales,  and  by  all  rail  to  l>o.>t(.ii  Mn) 
miles.  While,  b,\  combined  rail  and  sea  \ia  raisboio,  No\a 
Scotia,  the  rail  haula.uv  is  only  '27  niiies  and  sea  carriai^c  lis 
miles,  beinu-  in  all  a  total  from  SpiiunhiH  to  I>ost(tu  oi  17,'i 
miles.  C'limbeiiaiid  coal,  \  ia  IMedinont,  J5alt  iiiiore  and  ( )liio 
railroad,  is    hauled    IMMI    miles    to  Jialtimore,  and    that    phn-e 


bciiiu'  by  scii  <S]()  miles  from  IJoston,  makes  Cumberland  from 
Boston  by  eombined  rail  and  sbip  J()()()  miles. 

Tlie  same  eoals  will  reaeb  Boston,  via  rbiladeljdiia,  by 
eombined  rail  and  sea  route  of  770  miles,  tlie  rail  liaulage 
bein*;'  *-.M)i)  miles. 

The  Clearlield  eoals,  Pa.,  all  hauled  to  rhiladelpbia,  250 
miles,  and  are  earruHl  from  thciee  by  sea  to  Boston  480  miles, 
in  all  7'>0  miles. 

The.  Kananha  eoals,  as  regards  Boston,  are  in  no  better 
position.  How  then  does  jNIi'.  Whitman  attempt  to  support 
this  eontention  ?     I  am  unable  to  say. 

The  twelfth  and  thirteenth  propositions  I  do  noteballenge 
beeause  I  entirely  fail  to  see  tlieir  relevaney.  As  to  the 
statements  contained  in  3Ir.  AYhitman's  fitteenth  proposition, 
1  emphatieally  deny  them  in  toto. 

Having,  I  believe,  sueeessfully  refuted  ^h:  Whitman's  ar- 
guments against  Xova  Seotia  coals,  and  having  proved  the 
benelit  to  be  derived  by  their  use  in  the  Xew  England  States, 
1  would  state  that  the  eoal  of  Xova  Seotia  is  held  by  the  Crown. 

Coal  leases  for  a  period  of  20  years  renewable  are  made 
by  the  Provineiid  Govenunent,  and  there  is  paid  by  the  lessee 
a  royalty  often  cents  jter  long  ton  of  screened  coal,  or  7.^  cents 
on  unscreened  coal  sold  to  consumers.  Coal  used  for  colliery 
puri)oses  is  free.  The  various  collieries  are  subject  to  periodi- 
cal insju'ction  Ity  Inspectors  of  Klines,  who  are  ollicers  ap- 
pointed by  the  (Joverninent,  and  who  are  careful  to  see  that 
the  regulations  in  force  governing  underground  workings  are 
duly  carried  out  with  the  dual  object  of  econonucal  mining 
and  preservation  of  life.  An  annual  report  is  issued  by  the 
Department  ot'ACines,  in  which,  in  addition  to  other  useful  in- 
formation, is  given  full  particulars  of  the  general  work  of  the 
collieries,  and  statistics  of  useful  information  conne(!ted  with  the 
coal  industry  of  tln^  Province. 

1  now  propose  to  sketch  very  briefly  the  existing  condition 
of  the  X(tva  Scotiau  coal  trade  within  the  limits  of  its  present 
market,  viz :  the  3Iaritime  Provinces  Xt)va  Scotia,  Xew 
Brunswick  and  Prince  Edward  Island,  the  St.  Lawrence  ports, 

•^8 


: 


\ 


1 


also   XewloiunllaiHl,  and,  to   a    very   small  oxtLMit,  the    Wost 
JiKlios. 

I_  lave  alre.-uly  at  pa-c  5  sliown  the  costs  on  tlio  ton  of  coal 
c'x  sliij),,,  Montreal, luring  LS!)1  to  be  $l.;u.  This  was  screened 
coal  sold  Generally  at  $:j.20  p.u-  Ion-  ton,  rnn  of  the  mine 
iit  8.5.00,  and  screenings,  or  slack,at  $2.-10  per  ton  ex  ship. 

It  may  he  taken,  tliereiore,  that  tliecoal  would  he  s]ii|,...d 


in    Sydney   at    sl.sd   f.  o.  l, 


,  minus  agcLts' chaiges,  the   run 


of  the  nnne  being  relatively  twenty  cents  less.  This  Mould  be 
lor  the  St.  Lawrence  trade.  To  the  tra.le  generailv  the  ])rices 
of  (^ape  Breton  coals  at  the  various  collieries,  durii'ig  the  same 
year,  were  for  screened  coal  f.  o.  b.,  $1.(10  or  81.70  net  per  long- 
ton,  and  lor  lun  of  mine  coal  twenty  cents  less.  "^ 
Tlie  Generai  Mining  Association'scoal  has  ever  eommand- 
ed  a  higher  j.rice  in  th.'  local  market,  and  would  obtain,  in 
some  mstances,ashigh  as  82.15  net  fin- screened  eoal.  But,  as 
I  liJive  ahvady  pointed  out  at  ].age  N,  where  eoals  were  'for 
delivery  at  competing  points,  say  Ibrmarkets  supplied  bv  the 
Joggiiis  and  Springhill  colli..ri(.s,  the  prices  would  be  l.,wer 
than  those  1  have  given  above. 

Having  said  so  much  in  legard  to  piices  as  they  are,  1 
would  state  brietly  the  chiel  causes  whi,-h  have  conspired 
against  the  progress  of  the  Nova  Scotian  collieries  and  have 
led  tlieoj>erators  to  sell  at  such  low  rates.  IMimarily  they 
are  the  tacts  of  our  not  having  access  to  the  Clnited  States 
market,  which  leaA  es  a  very  limited  zom^  o])en  to  Xova  Scotia 
and  the  resultant  lierce  competition  among  the  many  collieries 
for  its  su[>ply. 

Oui-  coals  also  aiv  unjustly  de"ried  in  Xew  Euglaud  as  infe- 
riorand  lialtle  lo  combust  spontaneously.  The  lalter  is  a  \crv 
seiious  accusation  (o  make  against  them,  and  if  i»roof  be 
wanted  to  the  contiary,  I  jtoiul  t(.  the  large  .lumps  of  run 
of  mine  and  scre<Mn"ngs  which  are  to  be  found  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  3Iontreal,  lying  in  (juantity  Irom  the  month  of  Octo- 
ber to  the  month  of  .Iiine  follow  iug.  Vet  w(;  I'cad  of  no  de- 
struction of  thes(!  coals  by  s[ionlaueous  combustion,  although 
I  admit  sometimes  there  will  be  a  little  heat  in  the  slack 
dumps. 


39 


I.Hlced,  within  the  past  f.'.NvdMVS,  I  liavc  s.mmi  an  application 
in  Nvntin«.-  IVom  :i  lioston  dealer  in  United  States  coals,  to  u 
friend  in'  the  trade  in  .Montreal,  askin-  to  be  snpphed  with 
u  pointers"  wherehv  he  ini-ht  siieeessfnlly  cope  with  some  ot  his 
Amerieaii  coals  th.-n  bnrnin.o-  from  spontaneous  co.nlmstion.  I 
l„v.nod.mhtlhatthea,.plic'Hnt  in  this  case  will  ren.^nize 
tlH'  .•oirectiH'ss  of  iiiv  statement  (»n  reading  this  pamphlet. 
Air  Whilu.an  should  have  .'xamined  the  dumps  ot  I  nited 
Stales  <-o:ds  in  J5t»ston  before  he   took  upim  himselt   to   villily 

th(>  coals  of  Xova  Scotia. 

I^,.t  „,e  now  sav  a  word  i»n  si)ontaneous  combustion.  It 
isreiUv  lirst  an  intlammati.Mi  set  up  in  coal  where  dumped,  by 
Ihr  mesciice  of  forei-n  matter,  which  maybe  pyrites  and  slate 
on  tlH'  one  hand,  and  on  the  other  may  1h>  even  sawdust  or 
,l,in.  of  wood.  It  is  known  that  while  the  coals  from  two  dis- 
tinct M'ams  mav  W  safe  eaeh  by  itself  and  free  trom  liability 
to  ,,„„l.nst  spontaneouslv,  yet,  when  mix<  .1  toovther,  they  will 
i„  ,11  probabihtv  lirst  heat  and  then  combust.  It  may  b.Maken 
,.  .,  fact  that  <-oals,  however  ch.in  in  themseUvs  separate- 
when  mixed,  b.'  ill  dau-er  of  spontaneous   combus- 


ly,  w 
tioii. 


'1\>  ivturn  Owinu-to  climatic  conditions,  by  being  shut  out 
,.,,,,„  ,,„.  p,i„,i,,;,i  n.arket,  the  pr..vince  of  (,>uebcc,  for  six  to 
.even  mouths  in  each  year,  we  are  eompclled,  in  order  t.»  rush  ,»ur 
eoMl  to  Aronteal  in  the  slu.rt  open  season,  to  dump,  i.e.  'bank 
,„„,  ,,,.,,  at  the  pit  mouth,  during  some  or  all  of  the  wmter 
,„„,tb<  theiv  to  remain  till  the  opening  of  navigation,  when 
it  i.  a..ain  handled  at  a  eost  loss  of  eight  t..  ten  cents  per  ton. 
lint  the  loss  do.'s  lu.t  .vase  here,  tor  the  coal  in  its  rehaiid- 
li,,.-  an.l,  als.»  from  exposure,  slacks  considcuably,  ami  when 
seiveiu'd  for  shipiuei.t  there  is  a   further  loss  of  about  httecn 

cents  per  ton.  1 1  i     +i. 

N„NV  with  reeiprocitv  ill  eoals,  Imw  changed  would  be  the 
eonditions.  Vor  with  the  market  of  New  England  open  to  us,  we 
^vouhl  ship  direct  from  the  pit  through  Louisburg,  an  all-the- 
vcai-round  open  port  on  the  Atlantic,  twenty  miles  Iroiii  the 
;.oirH>ries  and  alreadv  conne.'tea  by  rail,  so  that  by  this  means 
the  vicious  system  ot  ''  banking  "  coal  and  its  conseiiuent  losses 
^vould  become  a  dead  and  buried  thing  of  the  past. 

40 


I 


t. 


^  ct  tlicreaiL'  tliosc  among  us  who  cry  that  reciprocity   in 
coal    means    "  uluio    kuin,''   and    the    inevitable    loss  of  Our 
3rontreal    market.       \V<-11,    I   do   ii,,t  deny    that    theie   would 
he   disturbing  conditions   at    the  start,  and   that   oui'  Amer- 
ican   friends   would    make    a  ru>li,  something   in    the   nature 
of  "Jumping  our  claims."      But   I,  for  one,  would  not  fear  the 
ultimate  result  of  the  attack,  even  in  .Alontreal,  for,  with  all  that 
we  liear  of  the  invasion    of    Tuited  .States  coal  .1  question    if 
tliere  lias  been   during   the  year    J8!H    one  long  ton  of  it  sold 
deliyeied  in  tliat  city  at  under  S4.;J0.     If  there  be,  1  ask  to 
be   informed.     In  proof  of  this  1  instance  a   transaction  made 
public   in   a   letter   i)ublished   in   the    Halifax    Herald  (Xova 
Scotia)    wiitten   by  3ir.   Leckie,  formerly  well    kn(nvn  in   coal 
circles,  stating  that  a  company  in  New  York,  in  which  he  was 
interested  succeeded  in  contracting  in  the  year  1891  for  ;>(>,0()0 
tons  of  coal  at  §2.!)0  i)er   ton,  the   lowest   rate   at  which  they 
had  ever  succeeding   in   getting  it,  and   as  Montreal  is   more 
than  20(>  nnles  further  than    New  Vork    from   the    nearest  of 
the    American  mines,  it   is   clear  that  no   large   (piantity   of 
American    unscreened    coal    could   leach   that   place    under 
$4.00   per   ton.     As    I    have  shown,   w(;   delivered    screened 
coals    there    last    year    (1891)    at    §3.20    per    ton,    aiul     if 
to  this  be  added  sixty  cents  duty  on  the  ton   of  2,000  pounds 
paid  by  the  Americars,  it  brings  our  co:d  to  8-3.87  against  their 
$4.;>0.     If  I  am  right,  what   have  we  to  fear  in  the  shape  of 
"  blue  ruin,"  avIkmi  we  meet  our  American  friends  in  the  recip- 
rocal market  of  3[ontreal  ?     Granted,  we  shall  not  have  all  that 
market  to  oursehes  as  now,  but   we   shall   have  what  will  be 
infinit(>ly  more  to  our  advantage,  the  open  markets  of  the  New 
England  States,   with  a  steady    monthly   shipment,  and  coal 
baidving  a  thing  of  the  i)ast.     If  in   this   paper  J  have  shown 
that  1  can  i)lace  coal  in  New  England  now  at  a  small   measure 
of  profit,  how  much  better  will  be  my  position   when  released 
from  the  payment  of  seventy-five  cents  per   ton  of  coal  in  the 
reciprocal  hereafter ! 

But  there  is  another  side  to  this  question,  of  greater  inq)or- 
tance  than  any  already  touched  upon,  concerning  the  Nova 
Scotia  coal  indust  y.  At  j)resent  we  are  twenty-one  distinct 
collieiies  i)usl:ing  for  a  Canadian  market,  viz  :  in  Cape  Breton 

41 


eleven,  I'ietou  six,  and  in  CmiibcilaiHl  lour;  with  an  area  over  all 
oi' about  L>S()  s(iuare  miles,  l.y  an  average  of  rbout  20  feet  of 
working  e(»al. 

Troni  the  great  number  of  eomi)aratively  minor  collieries 
thus  striving  against  one  another  in  the  same  field,  it  can  be 
readily  seen  wliat  an  immense  advantage  could  be  derived  by 
their  eond)ination.  .Now  we  have  distinct  establishments  of  an 
expensive  character  maintained  by  each  colli<'ry.  Then  we 
w(.uld  have  skilful  c(unbined  managenuMit  governing  the 
whole  group,  with  but  practically  one  coal  for  the  wholes 
market. 

I  have  calculated  that  by  such  a  system, aided  in  great 
part  by  modern  coal  cutting  machinery,  there  W(mld  be  at  least 
asaviligof  18  cents  per  ton,  in  putting  coaUnto  ships,  while 
the  additional  saving  by  an  economical  system  of  transporting 
in  st<'amers  and  barges,  and  the  handling  of  coals  at  ports  of 
delivery,  would  be  certainly  14  cents  per  ton  additional,  and 
if  to  this  be  further  added  5  cents  saved  ou  agencies  there 
will  be  a  total  asving  of  37  cents  per  ton. 

Takiu'j;  therefore  as  a  basis  for  computation  the  sales  of 
1801,  viz:  l,8r)(;,00()  tons,  if  I  am  right  there  would  bean  added 
revenue  at  l(!ast  of  8(>8(),72()  to  that  already  earned  by  all 
these  cohieries.  This  sum  would  at  iirst  appear  large,  but 
when  we  reflect  upon  the  necessarily  extravagant  system  iu 
operation,  due  to  the  circumstances  pointed  out,  it  will  bo 
found  that  the  estimate  is  rather  under  than  over  stated. 

Look  at  the  expenses  of  managing  21  distinct  collieries; 
the  competition  iu  the  freight  market  for  ships,  which  this  year 
has  ranged  for  the  same  work  from  eleven  shillings  to  eight  shill- 
ings and  six  pence;  the  various  competing  commissions  for 
business  ;  the  undercutting  of  prices  to  obtain  sales— and  iu 
this  latter  couuectica  I  may  mention  that  I  myself  within  the 
last  few  davs,  in  the  case  of  a  large  railway  had,  to  drop  15 
cents  per  ton  ou  a  heavy  order  which  I  would  have  secured 
had  I  not  been  undercut  to  that  extent  by  a  Nova  Scotia  col- 
liery ;  and,  finally,  consider  the  innucnse  disadvantages  of  dis- 
connected operations   in  the  various  pits.    To  understanding 

42 


iiKMi  siicli  ail  iiiTiiv  of  tMcts  cMiuiot,  r  tliiiik,  ho  otlicrwisc  lliaii 
coiiviiiciii^  oniic  ciioiiiioiis  (M'oiioiny  to  he  clU'ctcd  l»y  a  coiii- 
biiK'd  anaii.iiciiiciit,  without  in  any  way  ,u;iviii,i;' caiisc  t'oi' dis- 
siitist'aclioii  to  tlic  coiismiicis. 

There  is  (Uie  laet  I  oii^ht  not  iea\('  unstated  lor  it  has  an 
iniportant  iteaiin^  njion  our  ('apo  Breton  Coal  huhistiN'.  In- 
cluding Newl'oundlaiid  in  the  North,  to  Cape  Horn,  the  South- 
ern exticniity  of  Noitii  and  South  America,  the  ina^nilicent 
harbour  of  Louishiu'ii',  Cajte  l>rcton,  on  llie  Atlantic  Ocean, 
()C'cui»i('s  the  uni([Ue  position  of  liaviiiu'  only  II  nnles  distant:. 
from  it,  one  of  tlie  liiiest  heds  of  steam  and  domestic  coal 
known  to  the  woiid.  It  is  a  sale  and  commodious  harhour 
open  all  the  year  round.  This  fact  has  been  doubted  bv  sonu' 
l)ers()ns,  but,  for  tlicir  iidbrmation  and  proof,  the  writer  states 
Avitli  no  room  for  contiadictiou  that  duriiii;'  the  whole  winter  of 
ISSl-S'J,  the  sever(?st  winter  for  many  years  past,  and  no  win- 
ter more  severe  has  since  been  e\i)erienced,  the  Syduev  and 
Jiouisbur.n' Coal  and  Ilailway  Comi)anys' conti'ucts  for  deli\-ci\- 
were  fullilled  i)uiictually  and  with  dispatch  during- each  mouth 
into  sailing  vessel  and  st<'amer  to  the  satisfaction  ofour^en- 
oral  customers  and  of  the  ca[)tains  of  steamers  callint;'  for 
Uuidvcr  Coals.  Tlu^  harbour  is  close  to  the  sea,  easily  eiiteicd, 
well  sheltered,  (U'C}*,  and  owin.u'  to  its  proximity  to  the  Atlantic 
Ocean,  free  from  i(;e  all  the  year  round — Lo;;isbur,u'  harltour 
above  all  others  was  selected  by  the  FrcMich  and  by  them  veiv 
strongly  fortilied  at  the  eostctf  (1^  millions  of  dollai's.  Ilistorv 
relates  how  it  fell  in  174.1  bcfoi'c  the  brave  men  of  Massachu- 
setts, how  it  was  again  returned  to  Frimce,  and  how,  tinally,  in 
17r>,S,  liaAing  been  once;  more  captured  this  famous  fortress  was 
levelled  to  the  ground.  This  grand  harbour  is  situated  almost 
on  a  lineof  a  great  circle  traveised  by  steamers  on  their  wav 
from  Southern  United  States  Torts  to  Europe.  Lonisburg,  un- 
doubtedly is  destined  to  be  the  stepping  olF  place  f(»r  the  short 
sea  passage   of  80  hours  to  Europe. 

Before  closing  it  remains  for  me  to  express  my  respectful 
admiration  lor  the  statesmen  who,  convinced  by  a  sense  of  the 
advantages  of  reciiirocity,  have  been,  and  are  working  for  en- 
larged and  more  mutually  benelicial  trade  relations  with  other 

43 


countries,  iiiid  I  sincerely  trust  tliiit  the  same  nieusui-e  of 
success  wliicli  lias  attended  tlie  ettorts  of tlie  American  <;overn 
incut  in  this  direction,  may  before  lonn  lea<l  to  the  inau^uratiou 
of  closer  business  (;onncctions  with  Chuada,  which  I  b(,'lieve 
will  undoubtedly  residt  to  the  unending  benelit  of  both  peo- 
ples. 

1).   J.   KEXNELLY. 


4i 


